A New Beginning!
by Maetch
Summary: Three years after PV-Chem went up in flames, Alex is trying to make a life for herself. But, as always, she ends up in the wrong place at the wrong time, and it only snowballs from there. This ain't the old Secret World anymore.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is it! The big Alex Mack story I've been wanting to put up for a few years now. Bear in mind that it's not going to follow the kiddie plotline of "heroes win, villain loses". In fact, things have only gotten more difficult for Alex since the series finale. Those looking for traditional Alex antics should look elsewhere.

As always, Alex Mack and everybody involved (c) Ken Lipman and Tom Lynch. This story is mine, though.

So without further wait, presenting Alex Mack in...

**_A NEW BEGINNING!_**

* * *

"Hey, wait!" Alex Mack shouted, trying not to slip and fall in the rain. "Wait, wait wait! Don't tow it!" Gasping for breath and dripping wet, Alex ran up to the traffic cop as she watched the tow truck lift up her jeep. "Sorry about this. See, this is my jeep."

"Okay," the cop said. "You can tell them that down at the impound."

"No, you see, I had to go inside for a couple of minutes, and I couldn't find a space, so..."

"Listen, ma'am! You saw the sign," the cop argued as he pointed to a nearby No Parking sign. "You blow it, we tow it."

"Yes, I know it's a no-parking zone, but you gotta let me go on this." Alex removed her red hat and looked deeply into the cop's eyes. "I'm a college student, it's raining out, and I need to get home," Alex said, adding a sympathetic tone to her voice. "Heck, the only reason I even have that jeep is because I won it in a contest."

"A contest, eh?" the cop chuckled. "I was in a contest once. Y'know what they said to me?" He handed a parking ticket to Alex. "Better luck next time." Turning to the truck, the cop shouted, "Haul away!" cueing the truck to pull out of the area with Alex's jeep in tow.

With a groan, Alex looked down at her ticket and stared at the fine. "$250?" Alex gagged. "That's three classes worth of books, just for my jeep." Alex stuffed the ticket into her pocket and ran back towards the doors, looking to get out of the rain. She mentally kicked herself for forgetting to pull her umbrella out of the jeep, then ran into the supermarket to dry off.

* * *

A few minutes later, Alex was in the store calling on a cell phone. "C'mon, c'mon. Pick up," Alex hissed as the ringing on the other end continued. Eventually, there was a response...

_"Mack residence! George and Barbara aren't here, so leave a message."_

_The machine..._ Alex sighed. "Hey, Mom, it's me. Listen, I'm at the downtown FoodSavers. You know where it is. Anyway, my jeep got towed and I need a ride. Oh, and $250 for the ticket. I'll see you soon, I hope. Love ya." Alex hung up. _Dad's most likely at Sedgewick Chem working, and Mom's been doing some job-hunting recently. It looks like I'm gonna be here a while._

Alex hung up and was just about to leave when the sound of shouting came from nearby. "Stop, thief!" shouted a cashier as a young boy burst through the crowds and towards the door, holding what looked like a purse. Off to the side, Alex saw a store employee pushing shopping carts and smirked. A second later, the end cart suddenly burst forward and slammed into the kid, knocking him off-balance and allowing Alex to catch him easily.

"Whoa, slow down, pal!" Alex grabbed the boy by his arm. "You're, what, 12? 13? And you're purse-snatching?"

The boy only sneered at Alex. "Lemme go, you hag!"

"Hag? I'll have you know that I'm 19!" The cashier finally caught up to the two of them. "Here you go, pal. No harm done." Alex tossed the purse to the cashier.

"Thanks, ma'am," the cashier replied. "He just swiped it from an old lady, right in front of everyone."

"Shameful." Alex shook her head. Taking advantage of her distracted mind, the boy broke out of Alex's grasp and ran out of the store. The cashier was about to chase him again, but Alex stopped him. "Forget it. You got it back for her."

"Yeah..." the cashier shrugged. "Thanks for the assist."

"Ehh... Don't mention it." As the cashier walked off to return the purse, Alex stared out the doors to watch the rain fall out of boredom.

She lived in Pittsville Gardens now. Her father had gotten a job at the Sedgewick Chemical Plant a few years ago, and it was eventually decided that the Macks would move out there for the sake of convenience. When Paradise Valley Chemical went out of business following the arrest and conviction of its corrupt CEO, Danielle Atron, the town's financial security died with it. With no more chemical plant to provide its money to the businesses and municipalities, everybody realized that there was no future for Paradise Valley anymore, and so they moved away.

After settling into Pittsville, Alex graduated high school (barely) and then moved on to Pittsville Community College. She pulled decent grades, and also found some part-time work at the local mall by running the ticket counter at the movieplex. Not exactly a prime career choice, in her sister Annie's opinion, but Alex was grateful to have some kind of personal income.

Speaking of whom, Annie was coming over from MIT to spend the weekend with her family, and Alex was glad to be having her back, if only for a while. Alex looked forward to showing Annie that she was fully capable of living her life without being supervised. The last three years was proof of that, or so she hoped.

"Hey, Alex!" Alex turned her head in surprise to see a red-headed girl with freckles walking towards her, holding a shopping bag full of groceries. "Fancy meeting you here."

"Hi, Robyn," Alex greeted back. "Nice to see you, too." Robyn Russo was about the only familiar face that Alex had in Pittsville. Everybody else had long since separated. Louis had moved back to Cincinnati with his parents, while Nicole and her family had moved out east for a job offer. Losing Ray, her longest and closest friend, was the hardest blow. He and his dad were in Seattle, no longer as convenient next-door neighbors.

"So, Alex," Robyn said with a solemn voice. "What happened? Did the store run out of Stoodles or something?"

"I wish," Alex replied. "My jeep got towed."

"Oh..." Robyn shook her head. "How shameful, those tow truck people. Pulling away vehicles from their owners without them knowing, and in this weather. You know that pneumonia is notorious around this time of year?"

Alex sighed. Robyn always knew how to find the worst-case scenario in anything. "Robyn, relax," she began, putting on a casual face. "It's not like losing my jeep is the worst thing that's ever happened to me."

"I guess not." Robyn sighed. "Getting thrown into a plexiglass tube with explosives threatening to blow you up isn't exactly something that can be topped, is it?" she replied.

"Whoa, hey! Careful, there, Robyn," Alex warned. "I'm not in the mood to be dredging up old memories."

"I didn't mean it that way," Robyn hastily apologized "I'm just saying that, for someone like you, you've had it a lot worse than me on occasions."

Alex put a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Robyn, it's over," she began. "What's done is done. Atron's gone, my you-know-whats are gone, and everything's okay. No need to be dwelling on the past."

"I... I guess."

Alex suddenly saw a cab pull up to the store, and nearly gasped when she saw Annie in the backseat, waving at her. "Sorry, Robyn, but I've gotta go. I'll see you in class on Monday, 'kay? Bye!" Alex quickly walked out the doors and got into the cab, leaving Robyn alone with her groceries.

* * *

"No one was home when I got in, but then you called on the machine, so I figured I'd surprise you," Annie explained as the cab drove down the streets of Pittsville Gardens. "So, I'm assuming that everybody's still convinced that you're plain ol' Alex Mack?"

"You better believe it." Alex replied back.

"_Including_ Mom and Dad?"

Alex heistated, but shook her head in agreement. "Of course," she quietly replied. "I still don't see why we can't tell them, though. They're our parents, for cripes' sake."

"I know, but imagine if Dad _did_ know," Annie pointed out, choosing her words carefully. "He'd freak out, and you'd never hear the end of it."

"You don't know that!" Alex angrily spoke back. "Heck, if Dad knew a long time ago, that crazy woman would've never gotten as close as she did."

"_You_ don't know that." Annie calmly countered. "Remember what you said happened to Hunter's dad when _he_ tried to stop her?" Alex tried to find something to counter the argument with, but was silent. "You see, Alex? You can't trust anybody with this, not even Mom and Dad."

"Well, I still think they deserve to know," Alex grunted as the cab pulled to a stop in front of a two-story house. No sooner had Annie paid the fare when Alex stormed out of the cab in a huff. Grabbing her suitcase, Annie walked out after Alex, who had already unlocked the front door and let herself in.

_Just like old times,_ she thought to herself. Annie sighed.

_This is going to be a long weekend._

_

* * *

_

A few hours later, the Mack family was gathered around the dinner table. Just an hour ago, George and Barbara had gotten in to find the sisters watching some TV in the living room, as silent as ever. After some modest reunion between the family, Barbara ordered some Chinese, which had arrived only fifteen minutes ago. Now, they were having their first full-family dinner in a while.

"So, Annie," George spoke up, trying to strike some conversation, "how's college? Still blowing the grade curve to hell and back?"

"My grades are good, if that's what you're implying."

"Well, what about when you're not busy, Annie?" Barbara added. "I mean, you _are_ taking time to live, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"Dances, dates, eating out," Barbara counted off her fingers. "You know, socializing."

"Mom, in this day and age of college, no one socializes." Annie dug at her Chow Mein. "It's every student for themselves."

"Well, I'll have you know I was quite the social butterfly in my youth. After class, there would always be someone to spend an hour or so with just hanging around." Barbara sighed. "It's a shame as to what the college scene is like these days. I mean, when I went back to college, everybody seemed so... dull."

"They're not dull, Barbara," George bluntly reiterated. "They're among the best and brightest, working very hard to bring about a future. Not just for themselves, but for all of us."

Barbara rolled her eyes. _Leave it to George to miss the entire point,_ she told herself. "So, to hopefully change the subject, how's our other college hopeful?"

"Eh, nothing worth reporting," Alex mumbled as she picked at her rice. "I barely passed a pop quiz in math, then had to spend time with the counselor over my still-undecided major. It ran late, so I stopped in a supermarket to grab a snack, only to come out and watch my jeep get towed."

Barbara feigned a smile, trying to at least cheer Alex up. "Sounds like you had quite the... interesting day."

"Yep, just another wonderful day in the life of Alex Mack." Alex put down her chopsticks. "I'm done. I'll finish the rest later tonight." With a loud sigh, Alex left the kitchen, leaving her family looking at her aimlessly.

"George," Barbara spoke up. "Does she seem... peevish to you?"

"What?"

Barbara shook her head. "Never mind." Annie merely said nothing to her credit.

* * *

About an hour later, Annie came upstairs into Alex's room. Alex was currently inside, sprawled out on the mattress. She had changed out of her earlier clothes and into an old t-shirt with knee-torn jeans. Her expression was one of general boredom. "Nice room," Annie replied as she saw the fairly-cluttered mess on the floor and furniture.

Alex sat up and sighed. "Sorry 'bout the mess." With a thought, Alex telekinetically gathered up a pile of laundry and dropped it in the hamper. "You want I should make some room?"

"No need. I've got a room at the Pittsville Motel," Annie replied as she sat down on Alex's bed. "Anyway, since you haven't really brought it up yet, how're things in your secret world? Nice and calm, I hope." Alex nodded. "That's good. So why the long face?"

Alex sat up. "Annie..." she began. "Have you ever felt like you're simply wasting your life? That you feel like you could be doing something more with yourself?"

"No. Why?"

"I dunno. I just..." Alex sighed. "I just feel like my life's in a rut."

"I can see why," Annie replied. "I mean, you've been in college for two years, and you still haven't decided on a major. You stamp movie tickets for chump change, and your bank account barely has enough money in it to register a pulse. There's a word for your kind, you know. It's called 'slacker'."

"Hey, it's not like I haven't tried to find something," Alex said in her defense. "It's just that nothing ever feels... right."

"Your problem, Alex, is that you lack direction," the elder sister continued. "You've never really had to plan for your future, since Atron would've decided it for you... one way or another. Now that she's gone, you've got to fend for yourself. Heck, we all had to. At least _I_ made plans for the worst-case scenario."

"Yeah, yeah." Alex rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed at Annie's ego. "Ol' Little Miss Perfect herself, star of the Mack family household. If anyone can make it big, it's Annette Mack, no question."

Annie grunted. "Don't call me by that name," she tersely replied. "You know how I hate the formality of it."

"Sorry," Alex apologized. "Meanwhile, I'm sitting on my rump, taking college classes for a future I can't decide on and letting my other talents go to waste. At least back in the Valley, there was always something going on."

"Yeah, it was fun when we were kids, but that's gone now," Annie said. "Like it or hate it, Alex, it's time to grow up and face the real world like an average woman. Plus, hate to break it to ya, but superpowers are _not_ a part of the average daily lifestyle."

"Well, maybe I don't wanna _be_ average."

"Life doesn't work that way. Sorry." Annie glared at Alex. "I'm just saying that if you don't get some direction in your life real soon, you're gonna find that the path you're on is going someplace you won't like. Might as well conform and save yourself the headaches."

"Yeah, I'll be a BIG success, just like you." Groaning, Alex walked out of the room. "I gotta get out of here for a while. If anybody asks, I'm out with college friends."

"You want I should roll out the red carpet?"

"Nah..." Alex instantly liquified herself. _"I'm good."_ Annie didn't bother to respond as the silvery blob quickly darted into the bathroom and down the shower drain.

* * *

It was a dark night in Pittsville Park, and most of the people never bothered coming out at this late hour, which suited Alex just fine. It gave her the animosity she wanted when she needed some alone time. She was currently near the back of the park, close to the border. There was a small crevasse that was almost completely obscured by trees and shade, making it very easy for the average passerby to overlook. Alex often came out here to practice her skills, confident that most folks wouldn't think to find her there.

Lately, Alex was experimenting with new ways to use her powers. For example, just the other day, Alex had gone bowling with some college pals of hers, and found herself fascinated with seeing the ball crashing into the pins with so much impact. Alex figured she might be able to pull off something similiar.

Willing her body to transform, Alex melted into the familiar silver puddle she had used since the very beginning. Once fully liquified, Alex began to stretch her compacted form outward and upward, until she formed into a perfect sphere. _"That's great!"_ she exclaimed. _"But can it roll?"_ Giving herself a telekinetic nudge, Alex rolled forward by two feet. She then continued putting more pressure into her thoughts, allowing her spherical form to roll every which way. Left, right, forward, back, Alex moved in any direction she could think of. Finally, the liquid-ball rolled to a stop, where a pile of bricks sat stacked in a corner.

_"Alright. I've got the form, the angle, the strength."_ Alex's liquid-ball form then began to crackle with electricity as it bobbed towards the bricks. _"Eight-brick, corner pocket. Fire at will!"_ With an audible blast of sound, Alex shot forward like a glowing bowling ball, her telekinesis pushing her full-speed towards the bricks that looked like they were gonna get knocked down. When Alex hit the bricks, though, all she got was a gooey splat. Her liquid form splattered immediately on impact, and the bricks stood firm. _"Rats!"_ Alex swore. _"Still not enough force."_

Sighing, Alex willed her splattered form back into a single puddle, then molded herself back to her human state and solidified. Sitting on the brick pile, Alex looked up at the night sky.

It had been a full seven years since the chemical accident. What happened that day was since reduced to quick flashes in her mind, but they were always there, lingering forever in her memory. She could remember the date clearly: September 9th, 1994. She had woke up utterly dreading her first day of Junior High School in Paradise Valley. She remembered looking like an idiot in math class, having her favorite red hat nearly stolen by a punk kid, and being humiliated in front of a cute boy. Truly, it was the most miserable day of her life.

Coming home from school, a PV-Chem truck loaded with drums of chemicals came barreling down the street, and Alex, still moping over her miserable school day, barely registered its presence in time to run away and avoid getting hit. As she dove out of the way, the truck crashed into a fire hydrant, and the force of the impact knocked a drum onto the street. Between that and the spraying water, Alex was quickly covered in the chemical. The next thing she knew, she was running away towards home, not even paying attention to the driver's screaming.

About half an hour later, Alex Mack was no longer the 12-year-old girl she once was. A train set left in the garage turned itself on with just a simple thought from Alex's mind. A bolt of electricity inexplicibly launched from Alex's finger and lit up a nearby lamp. Perhaps weirdest of all, her body literally melted into liquid while she was gazing at a water bottle.

The first person who came home that day was Annie, and she became the first person to discover Alex's new powers. Her best friend Ray Alvarado was the second, having stumbled onto their initial studies in the garage. The three of them poured over the facts and concluded that, whatever the chemical was, it was probably a very big deal to PV-Chem, and so they kept it secret from everybody, even their parents.

However, though Alex wasn't aware of it at the time, she had stumbled onto PV-Chem's secret project: to use the chemical in question, GC-161, as the lynchpin in their upcoming line of weight-loss products and dietary suppliments. GC-161 had an incredible effect on the human metabolism, and they sought to exploit it despite the danger of Alex's "side-effects". It had taken Annie years of study to really understand what GC-161 was, and it was her theory that Dr. Charles Vernell, the man who had originally developed the compound in the late seventies, wasn't quite sure what it was either. According to her studies of his notes, which Alex found following a chance meeting with Dr. Vernell, Annie theorized that, whatever the circumstances were that created GC-161, it had to have been by a complete (and most likely unintentional) stroke of chance.

Since Alex would've been a key test subject in the project, the company CEO, Danielle Atron, desired her captured, tested on, and eventually eliminated for being a witness. Of course, at the time, Atron had no clue who she really was, and the truck driver's sketchy memory made it more difficult for her and her security chief, Vince Carter, to find Alex. Many wild attempts and close calls followed, and though Alex escaped them all intact, she was absolutely appalled at Atron's insatiable lust for money and power. Danielle Atron scammed investors, faked reports, discredited politicians, and even ordered witnesses murdered (among them the father of Hunter Reeves Jr., an early love of Alex's), all so she could make billions at the expense of the lives of the consumer public. In Alex's mind, that CEO was a complete monster.

Four years after the accident, Alex was exposed and captured, and Atron revelled in her adversary's defeat as she prepared to blow up PV-Chem with explosives, so as to destroy Alex, her parents, and any incriminating evidence (Annie, thankfully, was in college at that time, but Alex had a sinking feeling that she would've eventually been silenced anyway). It took a miracle in the form of Alex's friends to save her and her parents and escape before the explosions went off, and to arrest Atron for her crimes. Though Atron stood trial, lack of evidence got her off with a relatively light slap on the wrist: two years in prison before being released on parole, much to the anger of the immediate public. Her debt to society finished and her former reputation in shambles, Atron vanished from the public eye and was eventually forgotten.

As the dust settled from that incident, Alex eventually confessed the truth to her parents. Once the initial shock and anger faded, her father, ever the brilliant chemist, developed a GC-Antidote to purge the chemical impurities out of Alex's body. Though she knew it was created out of his concern for the possibility of "long-term damage" with her condition, a part of Alex wanted to keep her powers forever. Nonetheless, she drank the antidote and gave her father peace of mind...

... but then, a few days later, it started all over again.

* * *

_Three years ago..._

"So, let's see if I can understand this, Alex," Annie calmly began as she sat on her bed in her and Alex's shared room. She had taken a leave of absence from MIT when she heard of Alex's near-brush with disaster. "Four days ago, you took the antidote, correct?"

_"Yes, I did."_

"And, during the subsequent news interviews, you clearly said, to the entire world, that you took the antidote, correct?"

_"Of course. You were there."_

"If that's the case, then why are you morphed?"

The silvery puddle that was Alex Mack quivered in resignation. _"I don't know. Honest!"_ Alex replied in her echoey "morph-voice". _"I just woke up this morning and I was like this. I didn't know what else to do, so..."_

"Well, you can start by reforming." Alex obliged, instantly restoring herself to a flesh-and-blood human. "Second, we need to examine the possible reasons why the antidote failed to work. It may have only been a temporary cure, or perhaps it had no effect at all. Also, until we decide how to handle this..."

"I know, I know. Keep our mouths shut about it." Alex sighed and flopped back down onto her bed. "Man... and I was just starting to get used to being normal again, too. No more glowing fits or morphing spasms, and especially no more Atron or..." A sudden epiphany struck Alex's brain and she sat up in a flash. "Oh my God!"

"Or what, Alex?"

"Annie, you said that the whole world knows about me taking the antidote, right?" Annie nodded yes. "And now, I'm guessing the antidote didn't actually work, right?"

"I don't know how or why, but it would appear so."

"So, by extention, that means that no one _else_ knows that the antidote failed, either!" Alex explained. "You know what this means? It means that, so long as I don't give anybody a reason to suspect me..."

"No one's ever going to come after you again!" Annie finished.

"Exactly!" Alex grinned. Annie smiled out of genuine happiness for her sister. "So, we tell Ray?"

Annie shrugged. "Might as well. He was in on it since the beginning."

"Great!" Alex was just about to reach for her phone and call Ray when she stopped. "Wait a minute. What about Mom and Dad?"

"What about them?"

"Well, I think we should actually tell them this time," Alex explained. "I mean, they deserve to know, especially after all that recent trouble they went through because of me."

"Whoa, hey, bad idea, Alex!" Annie grabbed Alex's arm and glared at her. "If Dad knew the antidote failed, you know what he'd do? He'd go crazy over you, testing and prodding until he could find a way to cure you, so to speak. He wouldn't give you a moment's peace." Alex's earlier exuberence turned into a frown of detest. "You think my testing on you was bad enough? Dad can have the stamina to go _weeks_ on end when he's focused. Trust me, I know. I've worked with him."

Alex scowled. "Somehow, I severely doubt that."

"But can you really take that risk?" Alex opened her mouth to protest, but no words came out. "Dad's getting ready to move to his new job in Pittsville, and the last thing we need is for him to start getting too worried about you."

"What about Mom?"

"She's got her own issues with college and getting a new job. Let's not make it harder on her." Annie looked into Alex's eyes with complete, unflinching honesty. "I understand where you're coming from, but I think we'd save all of us a lot of heartaches if we just kept it quiet from them."

"Fine." Alex crossed her arms. She hated when Annie was right like this. "I'll keep it quiet... for now."

* * *

_Back to present day..._

_It's been three years now, _Alex bitterly thought, _and they still don't know the truth. It seems like every time I try to convince Annie otherwise, she throws some shlock about keeping quiet 'for my own good' and changes the subject. I swear, it's like she doesn't even bother to listen to my reasoning._

Deciding that she had had enough practice for the night, Alex leapt out of the ditch and and began to run through the park. As she ran, she began to focus her energy into her legs, energizing them and pushing them to faster and faster speeds.

As Alex approached the edge of the park, she saw to her left an incoming car. The streets were empty, but she wasn't going to risk that one car catching her in the act. With a second burst of energy, Alex made a mighty leap over the street, somersaulting overhead at exactly the same time the car drove beneath her. The driver remained blissfully oblivious to Alex's superhuman antics as the Super-Teen landed safely on the opposite sidewalk, confident that no one had seen her.

As much as she wanted to go full-speed all the way home, though, Alex decided it'd be safer to not act so suspicious. Sighing, Alex calmed herself down to let the excess energy fade, then began to jog down the sidewalk at a more leisurely pace. But she didn't even get off the block when a loud scream caught her attention. _What the... Who's screaming at this late hour?_ she wondered as she stopped to try and track the sound. A second scream drew Alex towards an alley, where she saw something that made her blood boil: Robyn Russo being cornered against the wall by a bunch of street punks.

"Pretty nice lungs she's got, eh, boys?" the leader, a tall, lanky man with greasy black hair and a tattered outfit commented, getting some laughs from his cronies. "Methinks we're gonna have some fun tonight."

"D... don't hurt me," Robyn pleaded. "I'll give you my money, my credit cards, everything."

"We appreciate the sentiments, girl," the leader continued, "but you see, we've just got into town, and we're looking for some entertainment, if ya know what I mean."

"No, I don't."

"Simon says... make me laugh." Laughing, Simon drew a knife from his vest and brought it into view. The other punks were whooping and hollering as the cruel man approached Robyn, looking to cut her up... or worse.

Alex had seen enough. Adjusting her hat so that the brim faced forward, the Super-Teen marched into the alley and shouted, "Hey, you jerk! Why don'cha just leave her alone?" Taken aback by the voice, Simon looked up towards Alex, whose face was obscured by both her hat and the alley's shadows. "I said leave her alone."

"Or what, ya twerp?" Simon taunted. "Really, wha'cha gonna do to save her? I mean, just you against... well, all of us." The other punks snickered at Alex's show of bravery. One of them threw a rock at Alex, only for her to telekinetically grab it inches from her face and toss it aside. Simon raised an eyebrow at the strange counterattack, but held his defiance.

"Seriously, is that your best trick? Throwing rocks?" Alex strode forward. "Look, if you want trouble, then, by all means, pick on someone who can at least fight back."

"Okay then, girly. You first!" Simon gestured to one of his men, who immediately charged her. But Alex simply held her ground as he kept coming forward. Just when he was about to collide with her, Alex dodged off to the side, telekinetically grabbed his shoulders, and shoved him to the dirt. It wasn't a graceful attempt, but it did the intended job as the punk laid there groaning.

"Now, I'll ask just once more," Alex threatened. "Leave. Her. Alone."

Simon raised his knife towards Alex. "Aw, man. You're gonna get it now, you little brat!" The entire gang obliged and approached Alex with the intent to pound her into the dirt. Alex leapt forward and took a swing at the first opposing punk. It nailed him in the chin and dropped him to the floor. Before the next one could react, Alex raised a hand and fired a zap, hitting him in his hand and forcing him to drop his crowbar.

From her vantage point, Robyn watched with amazement as Alex took down the punks that kept advancing on her, sidestepping and countering with barely any effort. Most of the punks got shoved into the wall as she telekinetically pushed them away, their weapons knocked out of their hands by the bolts of electricity she fired at them. One of the punks then decided to sneak up on Alex from behind, so that he could grab her and hold her down. Suddenly, Alex's entire body turned a gleaming silver and she literally _melted_ to the ground, only to pop back up on his side and shove him to the ground, landing in a dizzy heap.

Alex turned to the punks and shouted, "Back off!" Nearly all the punks (those that were still conscious) cowered back, but Simon leapt towards Robyn with his knife, looking to cut her up. Alex raised her hand and fired a zap at his knife so as to disarm him, but Simon moved faster than she estimated and her shot wound up grazing his arm instead. Simon let out a scream of pain as he gripped his arm, revealing a visible black scorch wound. Alex winced at the sight. "Uhhh... Sorry?"

Snarling and cursing, Simon waved to his gang to retreat. "This ain't over, freak!" he swore as he followed suit, still holding his arm. What punks that were still out cold had to be dragged away by their buddies, but they all eventually cleared out, leaving Alex and Robyn all alone in the alley.

Glancing around, Alex saw Robyn simply standing there. Oddly, Robyn didn't seem too surprised. The expression on her face was more of resigned fear. "Robyn?" Alex raised her hand, but Robyn didn't notice or respond as she ran out of the alley as fast as she could, leaving the Super-Teen standing there by herself in confusion.

* * *

Back home, Alex was busy relaying the recent events to Annie. "And then they ran off," Alex finished. "It was actually kinda funny to watch. All those punks trying to look all scary, and they find themselves running away out of humiliation."

"Dammit, Alex, you know better than this!" Annie snapped, making Alex wince. "All it takes is one person, and before you know it, you're gonna have every power-hungry scientist beating a path to your door. Self-defense or no, you can't show off like that."

"I don't care! I had every right to do something for Robyn's sake," came Alex's angry response. "I'm not gonna let a few street hooligans push me or anyone else around just 'cause you want me to feign helplessness."

"But aren't you the least bit worried?"

"Not about Robyn, if that's what you're implying. She's my friend, and I think that, once she understands my point, she'll realize the importance of this secret. As to the punks, who's gonna believe that they got their rears handed to them by a 19-year old girl?" Alex took her hat and adjusted it so the brim faced forward. "I'm gonna go pay Robyn a visit. She deserves an explanation."

"Fine. Go run to Robyn. Tell her everything," Annie replied, then glared at Alex, "but for her sake and yours, you'd better think about what your choice tonight could entail, or else your future's gonna be very, _very_ short-lived." Alex simply nodded as she once more morphed out of the room, into the bathroom, and down the bathtub drain.

Annie sighed and rubbed her head, feeling the migraine grow. As much as Annie wanted to trust her, Alex didn't always think things all the way through, and that's what worried her.

* * *

It was quiet when Alex arrived at the two-story house. The fact that the house was only three blocks away from the local funeral parlor (which Robyn's father currently worked at) only made it seem more eerie, but Alex held her peace as she willed her liquid form up the wall towards a window. A quick glance inside confirmed that it was indeed Robyn's room, and the redhead was lying on her bed wide awake.

She didn't seem to notice Alex's presence, and so the Super-Teen reformed right there, crouched on the windowsill. Knocking lightly on the glass, Alex saw Robyn sit up and look towards her. "Can I come in?" Alex asked.

Robyn got up and opened the window. "I was wondering when you'd show up," she said as Alex let herself in. "I knew my own best friend wouldn't wait until morning to inflict irrevocable psychological damage."

"I was just trying to protect you," Alex defended. "Seriously, what did you do to rub those guys the wrong way?"

"Nothing. I was just walking home when they simply grabbed me." The redhead looked distraught. "I appreciate the effort, Alex. Really, I do. But how do I know you're not gonna shut me up violently?"

"Because you're my friend," Alex replied, "and I trust you to understand the reason as to why I keep this secret."

"Well, yeah, but..." Robyn suddenly trailed off. "Alex, listen, I... You see, the truth is... well... It's just..."

"Just what?"

"Well..." The redhead grimaced as she began to recount a memory she had hoped she'd never have to talk about.

* * *

_About five years ago, in Paradise Valley..._

"Uh, hi, Mrs. Mack," Robyn greeted. "Are Alex and Annie home?"

"They're in the garage, I think. Said it was a private conversation, though I don't know why they can't do it in their room." Barbara shrugged her shoulders. "Why, is anything the matter?"

"Tell them that..." Robyn sighed, apparently not happy about what she had to say. "Miss Hardwick said not to bother coming into work tomorrow. She's out of business."

"Why? What happened?"

"I've done her books personally. She's so knee-deep in missed payments that the repo men came today to grab her popcorn machine. Said they'll be back for the rest tomorrow."

"How sad," Barbara consolingly spoke. "Maybe she can convince Miss Atron to give her a loan?"

"That's what she originally suggested," continued Robyn, "but I warned her that she'd become another lifeless cog in this unfair dictatorship of a town if she grovelled to that woman. Naturally, she chose the lesser of two evils."

"Smart decision." Barbara smirked. "Very well, I'll tell them over dinner."

"Thanks." Barbara closed the door, and Robyn began to walk down the driveway. As she was about to leave, though, a pair of faint voices coming from the garage perked her ears up. Unable to ignore her curiosity, Robyn ran towards the side of the house and quietly positioned herself below the small garage window. Straining her ears, Robyn overheard the sounds of an argument coming from above.

"... adds up," she heard Alex say. "The facts all point to one thing, and Ray and I are going in the plant tonight to get Beth out of there."

"You got poor Ray in on this, too?" Annie retorted.

"Well, he doesn't know it yet, but he's my best friend and I'm sure he'll help me."

"Alex, this is ridiculous!" Annie replied angrily. "If you go snooping around the plant, they're gonna catch you. Might even be a trap." For a moment, there was an awkward silence between the two sisters.

_Beth? Does she mean Beth Gaskin? _Robyn wondered. _I thought she went out of town with her parents. Why would the plant have her?_ Robyn strained her ears to listen as the discussion continued.

"Just like that?" Annie prodded, her tone one of disbelief. "For once, you're gonna listen to reason?"

"Yes, Annie, I'm gonna listen to reason. I'll forget the whole idea." A loud croaking suddenly sounded, nearly making Robyn jump.

"Alex, do you have a frog in your backpack?"

"Yes, Annie, as a matter of fact, I do have a frog in my backpack." A few seconds later, the inside door closed, signifying that someone had left the garage.

After a long moment of silence, Annie groaned loudly. "Stupid Alex!" she grumbled. "I'm starting to wonder if that chemical accident mutated her better judgement." Annie then left the garage, unaware that Robyn had heard every word.

_Chemical accident? Wait, she doesn't mean..._ Robyn, like many others, had heard of the chemical spill a couple years ago, as well as the rumors of a child being caught in the middle of it. Robyn personally didn't believe the rumors, saying that the chemical was most likely so caustic that, if there really was a child involved, he or she would've literally been melted into a steaming puddle of goo.

_But it was Alex? _she asked herself.

* * *

As Robyn concluded her story, Alex sat there quietly. She couldn't believe that Robyn Russo had actually learned about her and didn't even say so much as a word about it. "So why didn't you tell me?" Alex asked. "It could've saved us a lot of headaches in the long run."

"Well, I was afraid that if I told you, you'd be angry with me for eavesdropping," Robyn admitted. "You're one of the few friends I have, Alex. I didn't want to lose our friendship over it, so I figured it'd be safer if I just acted as if nothing happened. But when I saw you on the news that night... Oh god!" Robyn suddenly began crying into Alex's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Alex!" she croaked.

"For what?"

"For being a pessimistic coward who was too scared to help her friend," she mournfully groaned. "I didn't know about your powers, only that you got hit with some kind of chemical. But even if I had believed Louis, I was afraid of what would happen to me if I got involved. I could've gotten killed or arrested or experimented on or... or..." Alex only stayed silent as Robyn continued to sob on her shoulder.

The Super-Teen patted Robyn's back in consolation. "You made the smart choice, Robyn," she softly spoke. "I just wish you had told me from the beginning."

Robyn managed to stop crying long enough to respond. "So... you're not mad?"

"No, Robyn." Alex smiled. "I'm not."

* * *

Meanwhile, at a small tavern, Simon and his men were busy recovering from their beatdown. The leader in question sat alone at his table, chugging beer and growling curses. A bandanna was wrapped around his arm, hiding his burn mark.

One of the punks approached a friend of his. "How is he?"

"Still there and still drinkin'," another crony replied. "You know Simon. Once he gets drinkin', he's not gonna speak to anybody 'less they got a death wish."

"Heh, that crazy girl did a number on us all, so I don't see what his problem is."

"Well, try askin' _him_ that."

"No thanks."

Oblivious to the banter of his cronies, Simon growled and cursed to no one in particular, his only companion being a beer bottle. "Lousy stinkin'..." Simon swore as he took a long draw from the bottle. "Goes and burns me for just havin' a little fun. If I ever get my hands on that little-"

"Excuse me," a voice spoke up. "I couldn't help but overhear your... conversation, and I was wondering. Just what do you mean by 'burned'?" Looking up, Simon saw a tall, imposing man glaring back at him. He looked quite strong and intimidating, and his crewcut blonde hair made him look militaristic.

"Why should you care, gramps?" Simon slurred back.

"Because I'm curious," the man replied. "Now, I'll ask again. What do you mean by 'burned'?"

"The little minx raised her hand, and some kinda... yellow... glowing thing came out. Scraped me right in the arm!" Simon raised his arm and removed the bandanna, revealing the wound from where he got burned by Alex's Zap Shot. "She ain't human, I swear."

The man rubbed his chin, looking as if he was recalling something. "But did you get a good look at her face?"

"Well..." Simon rubbed his arm, wincing at the pain. "It was dark in that alley, an' she was wearin' some kinda hat, so we didn't really... Look, what's the deal 'bout her, anyway?" he asked rudely. "What's it mean to you about who she is?"

"She's... someone I've been after for years," the man thoughtfully replied. "Tell you what. You look like you could use a job."

"What?" Simon looked angered at the man's words. "Say that again to my face, I dare ya!"

"Oh, I dare." The man chuckled, amused by Simon's attempt to sound tough. "I need some... added manpower in an upcoming task I'm planning. You and your friends seem capable enough, so what do you say?"

"Forget it, gramps!" the lead punk sneered. "Me and my boys stuck on 9-to-5 slavery for pennies a day? No way!"

"Well, in case you change your mind, here's my card." The man handed Simon a small business card. "However, since you've provided me with some interesting news about the girl, here's an advance on your first day's pay." The man then took out his wallet and handed Simon several 100-dollar bills. "And there's more where that came from, if you're interested."

Simon was surprised at the man's unexpected charity. He looked at the cash, then the card, and finally back at the man. "What's your name?" he asked.

"My name's Vince, and that's all you need to know." He then got up to leave, leaving Simon at his seat.

Simon looked back down at the business card. It read: OFF-THE-RECORD SECURITY, INC. After a bit of thought concerning the wad of money that was now sitting in front of him, he got up and called out, "Yo, old m... I mean, Vince."

"Hrm?" Vince turned back rowards Simon. "You're interested?"

"Maybe. What will we be doing?"

"First, as a small test, I want you to get me a photo of your so-called girl," Vince replied. "After that..."

* * *

_Later that night..._

"... and then I morph and go through the scanner just as Carlton steps through," Alex told Robyn as the two of them strolled together down the street. "Needless to say, his face was quite red when the security crews grabbed him. But after how he tried to ruin Annie's project and blame me for it, I'd say it was well-justified revenge."

"Wow," whispered Robyn in awe. She and Alex had decided to get out of the gloomy house and enjoy the open night sky. Although the attack from earlier left Robyn a little shaken, she knew she would be safe at Alex's side. "Seriously, Alex, you're amazing. Why couldn't you have told me about this sooner?"

Alex shrugged. "Annie figured that the less people knew about me, the better," she plainly replied.

"That's dumb." Robyn crossed her arms angrily. "I mean, I'm your friend. If I had these powers, I'd tell _you_ about them."

"Yeah, well, Louis got tortured into telling Atron who I was that day." Robyn's face quickly turned to a nervous expression. "Now you know why we had to keep it quiet. If Atron got leverage on any of you-"

Robyn shook her head. "That doesn't matter. It was Louis," she angrily spoke. "What matters is that your _real_ friends should've had the right to know."

"Well..."

"And why are you always so dominated by Annie, anyway?" the redhead continued. "What right does she have to boss you around like that?"

Alex raised an eyebrow. "What are you getting at?"

"I..." Robyn's tirade suddenly stopped and she bowed her head. "I don't know. It's just..." She grasped for words. "It's just not fair to you! Always hiding, always lying, simply because your sister's afraid of you getting into trouble."

"Well, maybe so, but..." A loud SNAP! sounded somewhere from around her, like a camera going off, and Alex immediately looked up, only to feel a very hard piece of metal smash into her back. Robyn screamed and hid as Alex fell to the sidewalk, clutching her shoulder in pain.

Her vision blurred and her mind screaming in pain, Alex could barely recognize a pair of scruffy-looking punks run away from her... one of whom she recognized from the alleyway as that of Simon's posse. "That... jerk..." Alex groaned, still trying to hold herself together. Her face was already starting to glow brightly, a surefire sign that she was emotionally struggling. Using all her strength to keep her friend on her feet, Robyn put her friend's good arm around her shoulders.

"C'mon, Alex. Hang in there," Robyn pleaded. "I'll call a doctor."

"No..." Alex tersely replied. "Annie... She's at... the Pittsville Motel."

"There?" Robyn replied. Alex only groaned again. "Well, it's not far anyway. Stay with me here, Alex!" The Super-Teen didn't respond as she staggered along the sidewalk, with Robyn holding her up.

* * *

The motel manager, thankfully, didn't give the girls a hard time when they came into his office asking for Annie Mack's room number, especially when Robyn (very carefully, so as to avoid unneeded suspicion) told him the story of her friend's injury. The Super-Teen was using every ounce of her willpower to keep her face from lighting up like the neon sign outside, but as soon as she and Robyn reached Annie's room and knocked, Alex couldn't hold it in any more.

Annie opened the door to find Robyn and Alex standing before her, the latter's face brimming with a bright orange-yellow hue. "Oh my god, Alex!" Annie nearly screamed as she caught Alex from falling over. "Alex! Are you alright?"

Alex looked up at Annie incredulously. "Alright? I got slugged in the freakin' shoulder with a metal pipe! You think I'm alright?"

"Robyn, there should be a first-aid kit in my suitcase. Pull it out!" Robyn nodded and hurredly began digging into Annie's suitcase. "Right, let's just see how it looks." Annie helped Alex to a small chair and took off her flannel shirt, leaving Alex in her bra. A nasty-looking bruise mark sat in her left shoulder.

Breathing heavily so as to calm her nerves, Alex felt her face cooling down, a sign that the brightness of her glowing face was dimming significantly. "How bad is it?" Alex asked shakily.

"Well, I'm no doctor, but it looks like it was a pretty hard blow. Probably dislocated it and everything. I don't think you'll be using this arm for a while," the elder sister diagnosed. "Seriously, Alex, what in the world were you doing?"

"Those punks returned, and they clubbed me in the back," Alex explained. "I think they know who I am now."

Annie groaned, once more amazed at how much trouble Alex got herself into due to reckless power abuse. "Oh, Alex..."

"Well, you might as well say 'I told you so'," Alex groaned as she laid down on the hotel bed. "God, I feel awful. My jeep gets towed, my friend gets attacked, and I end up on the ground aching."

"Tell you what, Alex. I'll let you stay here for the night," Annie offered. "That'll give you a chance to recover. Also, so long as you're here and we're alone, I'd like to do some tests on your... abilities." Annie put her hand on Alex's. "Provided, of course, you're willing to let me."

Alex sighed, not surprised at Annie's segue. "Just like old times, huh?" The Super-Teen smiled. "Okay. For you. But I do have work tomorrow, so let's not make a full day out of it."

"Great! I'll call Mom and let her know. I'm also gonna need to call the motel manager and tell him that I'm having an extra guest tonight." Annie put a wet towel on Alex's head. "You just rest up, little sister, and I'll check on you in the morning."

"Okay..." Alex replied quietly. Annie got up and ran for the bathroom, having needed a moment of privacy to let everything process in her mind. Alex just groaned and closed her eyes.

Robyn sat down across from Alex. She knew she'd have to leave soon, since she wasn't a paying guest, but she didn't want to leave her ailing friend alone just yet. Deciding to break the silence, Robyn asked, "Was it always like this between you two?"

"You have no idea," was Alex's only response. Robyn simply said nothing. She was still trying to fathom the complexities of the sisters' relationship.

* * *

"We got it like you wanted," Simon said as he handed Vince the photo. "It's the same freaky chick from before. Trust me, she's not someone you forget easily."

"Obviously," Vince replied as he looked over the photo. Sure enough, there was Alex's face, clear as day.

"Look, I dislike her as much as you do, but what's the big deal, anyway?" Simon asked.

Vince chuckled. "If you must know," he spoke, "she's a very personal loose end of mine." Simon only shrugged, apparently not too concerned for her reasoning. "But she's not important right now. I just need your added manpower. Rest assured, you will be compensated for your services, but business first."

"So long as it involves murder and mayhem, we're game," Simon said eagerly. "So, what's your plan?"

"Patience, Simon. You'll know soon enough," he plainly spoke. "You just rest up. I'll let you know when it's time." The punks left the room, leaving Vince all alone. After a few minutes, Vince pulled out a cell phone and dialed up a number.

"It's me," he began. "They've brought me a positive photo. Hang on." Vince tapped a button on the cell phone, activating the phone's digital camera. He quickly snapped a picture of the photo, then sent it over to the recipient's own phone.

A few seconds later, the sounds of heavy cursing filled his ears. "My thoughts exactly," Vince responded. "So, are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean, there's always the chance that something will go wrong." The person on the other end responded angrily. "Very well then. I'll have them armed and ready to ship out within the next 12 hours. And don't worry. There won't be any compromise of my identity."

Vince let a small grin of triumph cross his lips. "You can always count on me... Miss Atron."

_END OF PART 1_


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Apparently, some people are complaining about my use of Annette for Annie's full name. Tough noogies, because that technically IS her full name whether or not the show actually uses it. (Seriously, how can "Annie" be short for "Anne" when it consists of LESS letters?)

* * *

_PART 2_

The morning sun shined bright over Pittsville Gardens, and the temperature was already rising with the humidity from yesterday's rain permeating the air. The weatherman had reported that heavy rains were slated to return later tonight, and so everybody was out doing errands while they could.

So it was that no one questioned the person who approached the modest suburban house at 10894 Lipman Street. She was a pretty-looking Oriental woman who wore a simple black suit and shades, and her facial expression was one of no-nonsense. Approaching the front door, the woman knocked sharply and stood there on the front step.

A moment later, the man of the house answered. "George Mack, correct?" the woman plainly said, not wasting a moment.

"Well... yes," George replied.

The woman pulled out her wallet and flashed a badge. "Grace Lasky, FBI. I'm conducting an investigation and I'd like to ask you a few questions."

George's eyes perked up. "Of course. Come in," he hurredly said as he let Grace into the living room. The woman then noticed Barbara sitting in front of the TV, clipping coupons from the newspaper. "Honey, this is Agent Lasky of the FBI. Agent Lasky, this is my wife Barbara."

Barbara sighed as she politely waved. "Hello," she greeted. Being visited by people from the FBI was nothing new to her. Lord only knew how many had interrogated her following her family's involvement in Danielle Atron's plans. However, this agent was a new one to her, and so she humored her presence.

"So, Agent Lasky, how can I help you?" George asked. "Do you want something to drink? It is gonna be humid today, what with all the moisture from yesterday evaporating and the greenhouse effect trapping the heat in-"

"No thank you," Grace politely replied. "So, tell me... what do you know about Danielle Atron?" George's smile quickly vanished. "From personal experience, what was she like?"

"Let's see..." the father said with a hesitant air. "Brilliant woman, but very short-tempered. She was the kind of woman who took her 'Progress At Any Cost' credo seriously... too much so," he angrily answered. "She rigged contests and swayed voters left and right just to get what she wanted. She... she was going to kill me and my family, possibly the whole nation for money and power. She..." George was ranting and breathing heavily.

"Please, George, remember your heart problems." Barbara placed her hand on George's shoulder, calming her husband down. Turning to Grace, Barbara smiled. "Forgive him, ma'am. He tends to overreact whenever that old memory is brought up."

"I can imagine," Grace simply said, unflinching. "Now, getting back on topic, I've been studying up on Atron's psych profile. Like you said, she's a brilliant woman, said to have graduated high school at age 14. However, she's also quite egomaniacal and dominating. The kind of woman who can't feel comfortable in any situation unless she's got total control over it. I don't need to remind you of how she snaked her way out of a life sentence."

"Are you kidding? The public backlash was a nightmare!" Barbara protested. "For the crimes she committed against both my family and the people, two years was nothing."

"Well, since she blew up PV-Chem, lack of evidence was a deciding factor," Grace continued, "but I'm almost positive that Atron got to the parole board somehow. They wouldn't have been so sympathetic otherwise" The FBI agent leaned forward. "I want to make sure Danielle Atron faces justice, so I'm trying to build a solid case against her. Anything about her that you feel can help my case would be appreciated."

"Hmmm..." George rubbed his balding head. "Well, last I heard, she gave up on corporate tyranny and went into the private sector. Some kind of consultant job, I think." He shrugged, but kept an angry scowl on his face. "I honestly don't care what she's doing, so long as she stays the hell away from my daughter."

"Your... daughter?" For a moment, Grace's professional face faultered, but she quickly recovered in front of the parents. "Your daughter wouldn't happen to be named Alex, would she?"

"You know her?"

"Only in passing, given the media circus that surrounded her the day of the trial," Grace explained, though that wasn't quite true. "Is she home?"

"She said she was spending the night with her sister," Barbara explained. "What's it to you?"

"Since she was the key witness at the trial, and given all the trouble Atron went through to capture her, Alex might know something you or I don't," Grace explained. "Any chance I can meet up with her?"

"Well, she does have that job at the mall's movie theater," Barbara answered, "so you could see about meeting her there. I don't think she's gonna tell you anything your superiors already know, though."

"And besides," George replied, "after everything she has been through, if Alex knew anything else that was important about Atron or GC-161, she would've told us about it already."

* * *

_Pittsville Motel, Annie's room..._

"No, Alex. Absolutely not." Annie crossed her arms. "I am not having this argument with you again."

"You can't honestly think that," Alex said as she looked up from the textbooks she was mentally levitating. She had been spending the last hour demonstrating her powers to Annie as she took notes. "Mom and Dad are gonna figure it out again eventually, so wouldn't it be better to tell them about me while we're all, I don't know, _not_ facing certain death?"

"Not if it means putting them at risk, which you've been doing a lot of as of recent," Annie argued. "Keep that rate up, and you're gonna be digging us all an early grave."

Alex snorted. "Pessimist! I swear, you're worse than Robyn sometimes!"

"I'm not pessimistic, I'm realistic. There's a difference," was Annie's final retort on the subject. "Anyway, all your metakinetic and metamorphic abilities check out. You seem to be improving with forming shapes while morphed."

"I've been practicing. Still trying to master _solid_ shapes, though."

"Well, have you tried packing your liquified molecules tighter?" the elder sister suggested. "Generally, denser molecules result in stronger, more solid formations."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "I have absolutely _no_ idea what you're talking about," she said, "but I'll keep it in mind."

"By the way, how's your shoulder?"

"Surprisingly better," Alex answered. "It was barely hurting when I woke up."

"Can you move it?"

Alex flexed her arm, wincing slightly as she moved it. "Still a little sore, but at least it's usable again."

"Hmmm..." Annie rubbed her chin. "An injury like that wouldn't up and vanish overnight, you know." She looked up at Alex. "Perhaps your powers may have had a hand in your speedy recovery."

"Eh..." A simple shrug was Alex's response, though she briefly winced again at the soreness from the motion. "Anyway, as much as I'd like to hypothesize with you all day, I have a life, and part of it involves my job. And with my jeep impounded, I need to leave now if I'm gonna make it for the first wave of matinees."

"At least let me call you a cab. I'd rather you not morph your way to work. There's no telling who'd catch you on arrival, and I think you've attracted enough attention already." Annie pulled out her cell phone and began dialing. "I'll give you money for the fare. Just promise me you won't do anything reckless today, okay?"

"Okay, Annie," Alex replied with a smile. "I promise."

* * *

It was no sooner than 40 minutes when Alex stepped out of the taxi and into the Pittsville Mall, with two donuts in one hand and a small coffee in the other. She quickly made a beeline for the food court, where a scowling man in a suit was waiting.

"You're late, Mack," he snapped as Alex approached him, "What, may I ask, have you been doing?"

"Sorry, Mr. Chaps," Alex apologized. "Anyway, I know I'm late, but I can explain. My jeep got towed last night and then I slipped on the curb and injured my shoulder and then-"

"Time is money, Miss Mack," Mr. Chaps tersely replied. "And if you're going to waste my time, then I suppose I shouldn't waste my money on you."

Alex bowed her head and moaned. "I'm sorry, sir."

Mr. Chaps then looked over Alex with disdain. "And you do realize we have a dress code on the job, Miss Mack," he said as he pointed to Alex's clothes. She was still wearing the dingy t-shirt and torn jeans she had put on yesterday, and hadn't been able to get home to change since then. "This unsatisfactory appearence will be noted on your next paycheck."

Alex moaned louder. "Yes, sir."

"Anyway, I want you in your uniform and at the ticket stand in five minutes. Customers or no, you have an obligation to the theater and this mall." Mr. Chaps turned and marched away, pausing only to glare at Alex from the corner of his eye. "I recommend you have your so-called breakfast finished by then, as well."

"Yes, sir." Alex saluted, forgetting about the powdered donut in her hand. The next thing she knew, she felt a large stain of powdered sugar glistening on her forehead, earning her several laughs from some of the nearby mall patrons. Grumbling in annoyance (she had long ago grown used to humiliation, so as to reduce glowing fits), Alex took a napkin and wiped the sugar off, then quickly scarfed down the donuts before leaving towards the movie theater.

* * *

Roughly seven minutes later, Alex was standing behind the ticket booth of the theater, wearing the theater's uniform red vest and tending to a pair of customers. They were a young man and woman who seemed to be a romantically-involved couple.

"Here you are. Two for 'Heartfelt Crush'," Alex said as the pair took their movie tickets and paid her the money. "Thank you, and enjoy the film." As the couple entered the theater, Alex looked back at them. _Maybe I should tell them that it's a horror movie and not a rom-com._ After a few seconds, she shook her head. _Eh... They paid the tickets, so it's their loss._ "Next, please." The next person in line approached her. "Welcome to the Pittsville Cineplex. How may I help you?"

"Well, I thought we could catch up, you and me." Alex looked up, and nearly lit up in anger when she saw Grace standing in front of the glass window. "You do remember me, right, Alex?"

"What do you want?" Alex tersely spoke to the agent.

"I saw you earlier in the food court, and..." Grace paused to fix her shades. "I figured I'd catch you there, but you didn't seem to notice." Alex scowled. "You probably don't think much of me since... what happened."

"No, I don't," Alex bitterly answered back. "You used me just so you could make a few bucks, plain and simple."

"You think I enjoyed betraying your trust?" Grace removed her shades and looked towards Alex. "Trust me, if I could, I'd go back and stop myself from ever getting involved with Vince."

"Well, you sure missed the _horse_ on that one," Alex finished, not even making eye contact with Grace. "Now please exit the line. You're holding up the paying customers." Grace looked behind her, saw nobody, then turned back and shrugged. "Yes, I know there's no one in line, but it's the principle that I'm enforcing."

Grace turned back to Alex and raised an eyebrow. "Is it always this busy?"

"Considering the current economy, I'm lucky to be scraping by on minimum-wage," Alex simply replied, still not looking at Grace. "Times change, I guess."

"People can, too." Grace walked away from the ticket stand and left the mall. As she approached her car, she felt that familiar nagging feeling of being a heel come back in her mind. Which was completely justified, given her past with Alex.

Years ago, Grace had gotten roped into helping Vince find the long-rumored "Kid" under the promise of more than enough money to pay her FBI academy dues. Though she quickly identified Alex and befriended her, she was goaded by Vince to expose Alex in front of Danielle Atron by faking a horse-riding accident, hoping that Alex would use her powers out of reflex and save her.

Alex had secretly overheard their plan the night before, so she didn't react to Grace's spill and Vince was left with nothing. Grace would've been, too, had Atron not taken pity on her and compensated her "wasted" time with_ double_ the money Vince would've paid her. It got Grace through the academy, but she couldn't help but feel guilty for taking the dirty money.

But in the short time they had with each other, Grace thought Alex was the kindest, most well-meaning girl she knew, and Grace spent many nights mentally berating herself for betraying that trust out of greed. When she learned of Atron's true colors and how she nearly killed Alex, Grace swore she would do all in her power to protect Alex from that evil woman. However, Grace knew it would be a long time, if ever, before Alex would begin to trust her again.

Getting in her vehicle, Grace started up the car and left the parking lot. She had a few more leads to follow on before heading back.

* * *

Somewhere across town, on the north end of Pittsville Gardens, the silent, subdued architecture of Sedgewick Chemicals Inc. chugged at the pace of a busy corporate facility. Unlike its former competitor in Paradise Valley, Sedgewick did not hold any sort of iron grip on their town and its people. After Atron's arrest, all the chemical plants and other similiar facilities nationwide were placed under heavier scrutiny, but so long as they prided themselves on playing by the rules, Sedgewick had no reason to fear any Federal investigations.

As the people traveled to and fro, no one paid much attention to the nondescript van parked on a small road overlooking the truck depot's loading docks. From his vantage point, Vince Carter watched the company trucks go in and out, occasionally pausing to growl at the sight of one of the workers, a tall, rather dull-looking young man in a trucker's uniform. His specific name was David Watt, an old co-worker of Vince's from their PV-Chem days and (in his opinion) a Grade-A imbecile of the highest calibur. Being the driver responsible for Alex's accident and all the trouble it had caused him and Atron since, Vince hated Dave with a passion.

Grabbing his cell phone, Vince checked the time and hit speed-dial. "This is Vince. I'm in position overlooking the loading docks," he announced. "I have Simon and Garth driving the transport en route. ETA 30 minutes."

_"Anybody at the docks?"_

"Two guards. They're no threat."

_"Keep watch on them."_

"Understood. Vince out." Vince hung up and went back to observation.

* * *

_Back at the mall..._

Alex was currently sitting in the theater's employee break room. Normally, she would be busy chatting it up with some of the other theater workers about this and that.

However, what was on Alex's mind right now was Grace Lasky's recent appearence. She was among the last person she had ever hoped to see again, and now that she had told Grace off, Alex couldn't help but feel like a jerk. _Sure, she used me, but I don't know if I can really blame Grace for falling for Vince's sweet-talk,_ she told herself. _Heck, for that kind of money, even I probably would've at least thought of turning myself in._ She sighed. _I guess it's tough to have a conscience sometimes._

"Alex!" shouted one of the boys from the concession stands. "Phone call! It's your dad."

"Coming!" _Probably gonna talk me into bringing him some fast food for later,_ she theorized as she took the phone. _At this rate, the cardiologist is gonna tear him a new one come his next check-up._ "Hello?"

_"Hey, Alex,"_ George greeted. _"Are you busy?"_

"I'm on my break, so I can't be long."

_"Great! Listen, Sedgewick's swamped me with some extra work and I'm not going to make it home until late tonight."_

"What about Mom?"

_"She's got a late night as well. The PR department just called her in for an emergency meeting,"_ George continued. _"You're at the mall, right? Well, can you do me a favor and deliver a Burger Fool combo meal to me, please?"_

Alex rolled her eyes, not at all surprised. "Now Dad, remember your heart."

_"C'mon, Alex. What your mother doesn't know won't kill me."_ George almost sounded like he was pleading. _"Please?"_

Alex politely laughed at her dad's plight. "All right, Dad. You should have it around five. Deal?"

_"Great! I'll tell the guard at the front desk that you're coming, and he'll let you in. And Alex..."_ he trailed off before whispering, _"let's keep this between us, okay?"_

"I promise, Dad." _As if I don't have enough promises to keep already,_ she silently added. George hung up, leaving Alex to get back to work. Alex checked her watch. It was 1:30. _Hour and a half to go,_ she calculated as she left the break room and got back to the ticket booth.

* * *

_Showtime,_ Vince thought with a grin as a black shipping truck began making its approach towards the truck depot.

The truck slowly backed into the loading dock as a supervisor marched up to the driver's side door and began shouting, "Hey, pal, let's see some ID." The driver didn't respond. "You hear me?" he continued, "We need some ID, or else-"

The driver suddenly drew a handgun. Before the supervisor could respond, the back of the truck opened and revealed ten armed and ill-tempered punks, who quickly grabbed the supervisor and threw him to the floor, handguns trained on his head. The passenger-side door then opened, and out stepped Simon.

"Nice job, Garth," Simon said to the driver, who apparently was his top man. "Alright, Simon says that we do this like Vince planned." Simon, Garth, and eight of the punks entered the facility, leaving a pair of guards behind. Inside, the punks branched off and began shooting wildly into the air. Some of the researchers in the halls quickly took shelter in nearby rooms, and the punks quickly took up guard positions outside to keep them from running in or out.

After about two minutes, Simon and Garth were the only ones left in the mob. "Garth, man the front desk and keep up appearences," Simon said, "I'm gonna ace the security."

"Right." Garth ran off, leaving Simon to run down the hall towards the security office. The two men at the monitors were already held at gunpoint by a pair of punks, and they looked ready to shoot.

One of the punks looked up to Simon. "No alarm's been triggered... yet," he said. "So, what now?"

"Simon says take them away," the leader ordered. Both punks proceeded to grab the two men and drag them out of the room. Simon took a seat in front of the monitors and brought up his radio and a wooden baseball bat. "Security's out, Boss! You've got the floor," he announced before proceeding to smash up the consoles and monitors.

As soon as he heard his radio crackle to life, Vince released the parking brake on his van and began driving down towards the back entrance, a smile on his face. He had spent all night hammering this plan into his "partners", so he expected nothing short of a flawless execution as he went down to play his own role in this heist.

Carefully parking his van, Vince stepped out of his vehicle and strode through the truck depot, pausing only to steal a glance at Dave, who was closing his eyes and cowering as a pair of punks laughed and fired their guns at the ground near him. As such, Dave failed to see Vince as he marched up to the punks and glared at them. "Don't fire those here!" he snapped. "We're trying NOT to raise a scene." The two punks whimpered apologies as Vince walked away and entered the plant.

Dave's face suddenly went quizzical. _That voice sounds familiar,_ he thought. He didn't get to think long on it as one of his attackers kicked him in the stomach.

* * *

While all this was going on, over at the front desk, Garth quickly shoved the knocked-out guard into a broom closet and fastened his stolen uniform upon himself. He needed to at least _look_ professional enough to deter any visitors. As he took his seat, Garth flipped through a small set of index cards. "Sorry, sir, but no one is allowed in or out," he recited off one card. "We are currently running... um... lockdown drills." Garth smiled at the irony in that statement, but it quickly vanished when he saw a taxi pull up to the doors. He needed to play the part now.

The cab's door opened, and Alex stepped out, clutching a bag of fast-food items. After paying the fare, the cab drove off and Alex stepped inside. "Oh, hey!" she said as soon as she saw Garth and approached him at the desk.

Garth forced a smile. "May I help you?"

"Yes, sir. I'm Alex Mack, and I'm here to run something up to my father, George Mack," she explained. "He should've told you I was coming earlier."

"Alex... Mack, is it? Uh... hold on." Garth looked down at his computer, supposedly to check online records, but really to check an index card for the needed excuse. After a bit, he looked up and smiled again. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but there's no record of such a request being made."

"Well, that's not right." Alex peered over the desk. "You sure about that?"

Garth quickly blocked the cards from view. "Dead sure," he replied. "May I ask that you leave?"

"Why?"

"We're practicing... lockdown drills."

"Then why is the front door unlocked?" Alex pressed. "I've done lockdown drills at school before, and they usually entail that _all_ the doors get locked."

"Uh... yeah, that's it!" Garth smiled. "Forgot to lock that door! Anyway, thanks for saving my job, but could you please leave?"

"Fine." Alex simply smiled politely and went back outside. As soon as she was out of view, her smile faded into an expression of confusion. Alex stood there in silent thought for a brief minute, then shrugged and walked away from the door. _Well, Dad's meal isn't getting any warmer, so I'm getting in there somehow._

Still clutching the combo meal, Alex ran towards the back truck depot. For Alex Mack, there was more than one way to get inside a building... and not always through the doors.

* * *

Whistling a little tune, Vince strode through the facility. With the cameras and alarms silenced, he had nothing to fear as he wound his way through the corridors and stopped outside a workstation in the R&D area. After nodding to the punks standing outside, they cleared out and allowed Vince in, locking the door behind him. "Who's there?" he heard a voice shout. "What's going on, you devils?"

Vince smiled as he looked down at his addressor, George Mack, who at the moment was tied to his chair thanks to his earlier guests. "Of all the places to reunite. How're you doin', Mack?" he casually greeted, as if he was addressing an old friend. "You're looking a little out of shape there, not that you were in any to begin with."

"You..." George scowled. "I... I remember you! You're... Vince, right?" he asked.

Vince laughed. "Same old George, I see. Still fat and still slow," he replied. "Anyway, I figured that while everybody's running around like headless chickens out in the halls, you and I could talk business. I mean, we both worked for Atron once upon a time, right?"

"I've got nothing to discuss with you, you slime."

"Oooh, a little feistier than I remember. I like that you've grown a bit of a spine," Vince said as he drew a gun and casually aimed it at George, "but do keep the insults civil, okay? Now, I'm here because I want something you have. Care to guess what it is?" George shook his head. "It's a series of research files on a very specific project you once worked on. The kind of hush-hush project that can be worth millions to the right people... or billions to one _very_ specific person."

The researcher's eyes went wide in realization, then turned steely in defiance. "If you're talking about _that_ project, then I'm afraid all information on it has since been erased."

"A likely story. That's okay, though." Vince pulled a chair out and sat on it across from George, gun still aimed at the researcher's head. "I've got time. You, however, may not if you don't change your mind quickly."

* * *

_At least Dave'll let me in,_ Alex thought to herself as she walked around the back driveways of the facility._ He always sticks up for me... sometimes without me even knowing it._ From what he had admitted to her, it was on her first day of High School when Dave managed to figure out for himself that she was the child he inadvertantly doused with GC-161. Rather than turn her over to Atron, Dave kept the knowledge to himself (being too nice a guy to let Alex suffer at his boss's greedy hands). But when Alex was captured by Atron, Dave shared the info with the authorities, which ultimately led to Atron's arrest.

_Dave risked so much for me, and he barely got so much as a thank you for it. I know Dad got him his job here out of gratitude, but..._ Alex looked down at the lunch bag in her hands. _Oh, well. I can at least cut him some fries like usual. Less calories for Dad that way, and Dave always appreciates the gesture._

Alex approached the truck depot, but doubled back when a pained yell echoed from around the corner. "C'mon, guys! Stop it!" yelled a voice in a whiny tone. The sound of laughter and more whimpering followed, and Alex suddenly felt worried. Morphing at a whim, she slithered around the corner and "looked" at where the sound was coming from: it was that of Dave being pushed and shoved around by a pair of punkish men... Simon's men.

_Aw, not these guys again,_ Alex groaned. _Have they no shame?_ Slipping behind a crate and reforming, Alex sat down and began to think. _Okay, something definitely stinks here,_ she realized. _First I get turned away at the door and now these guys are here smacking Dave around like a sack of potatoes. Whatever's going on, I want in. But first..._

Putting her hat brim-forward, Alex telekinetically threw the fast-food over by a large oil drum, then latched onto the closest thing she could see: a metal wrench. With another thought, Alex willed it over to the drum and rapped it loudly against the side. At once, the two punks looked up and ran to investigate, leaving Dave by himself.

Alex crept over and watched with a small smile as the punks dumbly looked at the dropped wrench on the ground, then hungrily at the food. Picking up a pair of crates with another telekinetic gesture, Alex flung them at the punks, hitting them in the heads and knocking them out cold.

The threat quelled, Alex ran back to Dave, who was cowering in the corner of the loading docks. "Hey there, pal," Alex greeted with a smile. "Are you okay?"

Dave looked up and managed a grin in response. "Oh, hey Alex," he said. Dave then frowned. "I-I really don't think now's a good day for me to sneak you in."

"What's going on?"

"Th-those guys just barged in and... well..." Dave shrugged. "I honestly have no idea what's going on, but I think everybody inside is in trouble."

"That's an understatement," Alex replied. "Anyway, call the police and tell them about this. Just don't mention me."

"Okay." Dave nodded and began to run off, while Alex ran through the door and into Sedgewick's main halls. "Go get 'em, Alex!" Dave cheered before leaving the truck depot to find a payphone. It was times like this that being considered the dummy worked in Dave's favor. He got to hear secrets that others let slip, thinking he was too stupid to tell anybody. But Dave was no dummy. He was just a simple-minded guy with a good heart and some common sense.

_Now if only I could remember that voice,_ Dave thought, still trying to figure out the identity of the man from earlier.

_I know who he is, I swear, but... C'mon, Dave! Think!_

_

* * *

_

Back inside the R&D labs, Vince and George were still in the middle of their face-off. "Where are the files?" Vince asked once more.

"I don't have them," George bravely argued, "and I definitely wouldn't tell _you_ where to look."

"True, but I know that there's no way you would throw away over three years of hard work. Even if you did turn it all over to the Feds as evidence, surely you couldn't resist the temptation of making _personal_ copies." Vince glared straight into George's eyes. "And you _definitely_ wouldn't keep them out of your sight. Now, either tell me where they are, or I tear this room apart for it."

"Go to hell!"

Vince stood up. "Well, it's obvious you're not telling, so I guess I _will_ have to start digging. Boys!" The two punks from outside marched into the office. "Spread out and search the office." The two punks saluted and began rummaging through George's carefully-organized office space. Vince also took part in the mayhem, though George never left his sight as he glared out the corner of his eye.

For ten excruciating minutes, they ripped through everything like a hurricane. Eventually, one of them shouted. "Hey!" Vince and his partner ran over to check. "This photo frame looks funny," he said as he held up a framed photograph that was sitting on George's desk. It was that of Alex in a graduation gown from High School, and the back part looked bulkier than that of an average photo frame.

Vince grinned as he popped the back off the frame, revealing a small pocket flash drive held in foam insulation. "Call it a hunch, Mack," Vince said, "but I believe this is what I think it is."

"Don't act so smug!" George shouted. "For all you know, it's just... bedroom photos of me and the Mrs. in there."

"Sorry, but I can't ever imagine you taking... bedroom photos." _And now I'm gonna have THAT grisly image in my head all day._ Vince shuddered at the thought. "Anyway, why don't we crank up the PC and see for ourselves?"

* * *

Elsewhere, in one of Sedgewick's boardrooms, eight members of Sedgewick's Public Relations staff sat huddled in the corners of the room, guarded by a pair of punks. Both the hostages and their guards were equally testy and annoyed with each other, which didn't allieviate anybody's fears any.

"Look, this isn't going to be much longer, is it?" one of the PR men asked. "We have a bar mitzvah in an hour and the caterers will be angry if we're late."

"Shut up!" came the punk's response.

"And can you start bringing some groups to the restroom?" another one asked.

"How about bringing us some sofa cushions, too?" a woman spoke up.

The punk rolled his eyes. "I swear, these pests are always complaining." Turning to his friend, he slapped him on the shoulder. "Look, escort some of them to the restroom and I'll watch the others."

"No way, man!" his partner refused. "I ain't babysitting them on the potty. You do it."

"I'm the one in charge of this area, and I say you escort them."

"Fat chance!"

As they argued, Barbara just sighed and kept her head down low, trying not to attract attention. It wasn't easy, given the unwelcome company, but it got the desired effect as no one so much as glanced her way.

Suddenly, a strange hot flash rushed over her body, and before she knew it, Barbara was moving involuntarily. The sudden inertia nearly made her vomit as she hazily felt herself melting down towards the floor and jerk into the nearby air vent. Out of the corner of her mind, Barbara could hear a voice. _"Please, Mom, just hang on."_

Then, just as quickly as it started, it ended as Barbara found herself sitting in a supply closet, dazed and disoriented. Looking up, she tried to figure out where she was, but nearly panicked at seeing Alex's face looking back.

"Wha... what the..."

"Mom, it's okay! Mom!" Alex grasped her mother's hands. "It's me. I'm here, okay? It's me."

"A... Alex..." Barbara gasped. "How... how did you..."

"It's obvious when you think about it. Long story short, the antidote didn't work," Alex quickly replied. "Anyway, I came over to run some food to Dad when I heard of this. What's happening?"

"I... I don't know," Barbara shakily replied. "We were in our meeting when those men arrived and-" A sudden shock came over Barbara's thoughts. "Alex, I... where's George? Where is he?"

"Just stay here. It'll be okay."

"But Alex-" Barbara's protest went unheard as Alex remorphed and slipped back into the vents.

* * *

Back outside the meeting room, the two punks were still bickering with each other when one of them turned their head and noticed the hostages. "Hey, something's funny over here!" he shouted. "Weren't there seven of them?"

"I dunno." The other punk shrugged. "What's it to you?"

"I think you idiots need to go back to school," a new voice called out from the doorway, "starting with kindergarten."

"Who's there?" The duo turned towards the door, just in time to see the fleeting image of Alex dash out of sight. One punk quickly gave chase, leaving the other by himself to watch the hostages. "Oh, sure. NOW you go out and check. Hypocrite!"

However, as he poked his head out of the room, the loud sound of gunfire echoed down towards him, followed by what sounded like... a zap of electricity? And a loud thump on the floor. Now concerned, the punk left to check into the noise.

Once he left, Barbara poked her own head out of the supply closet. The area clear, she stepped out and ran over to the others. "It's okay, Marlene," she said to the first hostage as she helped her up into a chair. "Everything's gonna be fine."

"Fine?" Marlene complained. "What makes you so sure?"

An awkward smile crossed Barbara's lips. "I... I just know."

* * *

Out in the hall, the punk finally managed to find his friend, slumped against the wall and unconscious. There were a couple bullet holes across from him, and his gun sat in a nearby trash can. "Dammit, Deke! You can't do anything right, can you?" he shouted, but to no response. "Deke? Deke, wake up!"

He suddenly heard a noise and spun around, just in time to spot Alex as she was trying to creep behind him. Without a word, he went for his gun and fired a shot. Alex dove out of the way and kicked him in the shin, making him flinch in pain. Before he could fire again, Alex reflexively fired a zap and struck him in the chest, dropping him to the ground unconscious.

Alex groaned as she stood up. She wasn't an inherently violent person, but she couldn't let herself or anybody get hurt. _Besides, he shot at me first,_ she told herself. _That was justified self-defense. Anyway, I need to find Dad and make sure he's okay._

Alex began running down the halls in search of her wayward father. _Seriously, why does it seem like I'm always stumbling into trouble?_ she thought to herself in annoyance. _Alex Mack: Always in the wrong place at the wrong time..._

_Story of my life. _

_

* * *

_

"Yes, officer. With guns," Dave said into the receiver of the payphone. He was currently explaining the severity of the situation to the police. "They've got hostages too. I barely escaped, but please hurry! Wait, what?" Dave strained his ears to listen. "Okay, I'll stay where I am. Thank you."

Hanging up, Dave looked back at the Sedgewick facility and took off his hat to wipe his brow. _I wish I knew what was going on in there,_ he thought to himself. _I haven't been this scared since that time Vince threatened me with... wait!_ Dave's eyes went wide as he suddenly realized who that voice was. _Oh my god!_

Dave grabbed the payphone again and hit the zero key. "Operator, put me back on with the police!" After about a minute, he was patched through. "Yeah, it's me again! Listen, I think I know who's at the Sedgewick break-in!"

* * *

Driving down the streets of downtown, Grace was suddenly alerted to her cell phone ringing. Stopping at the curb, she quickly picked it up and answered. "FBI, Lasky," she responded calmly. Her stoic face then turned to shock. "What?"

_"Just what this guy said, ma'am,"_ replied the officer. _"When he mentioned that man, I remembered you coming around talking about him earlier, so I figured you'd want a heads-up."_

"Are you kidding? I'll be right there!" Hanging up, Grace drove off the curve and barreled down the streets as fast as she could legally get away with.

Grace was confident that her best chance of indicting Atron was through Vince. Having served as Atron's chief enforcer for years, Vince knew some of her dirtiest, darkest secrets that could surely put that woman away for life. Vince had not been seen in three years, having left town sometime before the fall of PV-Chem, so this sudden report of him possibly being sighted at Sedgewick Chemicals was a stroke of chance. On her badge, Grace was not going to let this chance slip away from her.

Of course, she had her own reasons for putting Vince away as well...

* * *

"The password, please," Vince testily threatened as he glared at George. On the computer monitor was a password prompt for the flash drive.

"Now why would you think I'd tell you that, Vince?" George once more argued. "The whole point of the password is to keep people like you _out_ of those files."

"Fine then. I'll just guess." Vince sat down at the computer, though he still kept George in his view. "Now, call this a hunch, but if you were going to set a password, then it'd have to be something memorable. The kind of word you'd never forget." As Vince pondered, his eyes drifted across the graduation photo of Alex. After a moment of thought, Vince typed in a word: ALEXANDRA.

_Password incorrect,_ the computer replied on-screen.

"You get three chances in all," George explained, "and I would never pick a password so obvious."

"Of course you would, but there'd have to be a gimmick, too," he continued. "To keep the answer from being figured out so quickly. Let's see..." Vince rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Oh, I've got it! It's 'Alexandra' backwards, isn't it?" George didn't reply, which, unfortunately, clinched Vince's theory as he typed again: ARDNAXELA. Again, it was incorrect, and Vince started to sweat. "One chance left, then what?" he asked George.

"The flash drive self-deletes," George stated matter-of-factly. "So tell me, Vince. Are you really going to gamble your prize on this password?"

Vince suddenly turned towards George... and smiled evilly. "I was close on that one, wasn't I? The backwards clue, I mean?" he replied. "You're trying to make me doubt myself into screwing up, aren't you? Well, I'll give you credit for the attempt, but here's something you should remember next time you try to make a bluff."

"Wh-what's that?"

"Sometimes, the bluff is so obvious, it's hidden in plain sight." George's heart sank as Vince typed the password: ALEXANDRA BACKWARDS. A second later, a full folder of data appeared on the screen. "Paydirt!" Vince exclaimed.

"Alright, you won," George moaned. "You have my disk and the password. Now let me go."

Clicking off the computer and removing the flash drive, Vince turned back to George. "I'd love to, but I've got one other thing to do before leaving."

"You mean you're gonna-"

Vince pulled out a small pack of C4. "What happens to those in the halls is not my problem, but my own involvement requires complete confidentiality." Vince armed the detonator on the C4 and placed it next to the computer. "Nice knowing you, Mack," he said before leaving, with the punks following.

George watched fearfully as the timer began counting down from five minutes. With fearful memories of three years ago playing out in his head, George bowed his head and winced. He was expecting his end... and hoping for any sort of miracle.

* * *

Leaving the lab, Vince grabbed his radio and switched it on. "Vince here. I got the item," he announced. "What's your status, Simon?"

"Trouble," Simon called out over his radio. "The lookouts have spotted cops coming 'round, and I think there's an FBI car, too. I dunno about you, but we're bailing out while we can."

"Do as you must. Just make sure the security is out of order before you leave."

"Already done." Simon switched all the frequencies on. "Simon says it's time to go. Everybody back to the van." Every punk left who could move immediately began shuffling away from their posts and back to the truck depot.

* * *

Alex dusted her hands off as two more punks laid unconscious in the hallway. She had been dashing through the halls when she bumped into them. Rather than let them act, Alex took the initiative and dropped them with well-aimed zap shots. They were unconscious, but unharmed.

A sudden realization then crossed over Alex's mind. Both right now and last night, she was actively fighting back with her powers instead of simply acting in self-preservation. She was facing the possibility of her death, that of her parents and their co-workers, and even the exposure of her secret... and yet she wasn't caring. Like she actually enjoyed running about zapping grunts and saving people like she was some kind of...

Alex stopped herself in mid-thought. _Whoa, let's not go down that road of thought just yet. I'm only trying to help Mom and Dad out of danger, not play M-Woman to stroke my ego,_ she told herself._ Besides, I've never been a fan of spandex. Why can't more superheroes wear something business casual?_

As Alex jogged around a corner, she crashed headfirst right into someone she hoped she'd never see again. "Hey, watch where..." Vince's eyes locked onto Alex, and his face immediatetly turned red in fury. "YOU!" he roared.

"Y... you!" Alex meekly responded, just barely morphing out of the way as Vince grabbed his gun and opened fire on her. She fled down the hall as fast as she could will her puddle-form to do so.

"Get back here, mutant!" Vince screamed as he and his partners gave chase. "After her! She's getting away!" He and his two cronies pursued the puddle, with the punks occasionally firing shots at it, though it was about as useless as throwing rocks into the bathtub. Alex skidded around a corner and quickly oozed herself into a small wedge against the wall. Naturally, Vince and his men ran by her without any clue.

Confident that they were ditched, Alex reformed and tried to catch her breath. As she slowly walked away, she suddenly felt a pair of hands grab her from behind. "Well, well, well. Look who I've found." Alex felt a chill go down her spine as she recognized Simon's voice. "Y'know, babe, we've really gotta stop meeting like this. Otherwise, people'll talk."

"Look, if this is about me zapping you, then I'm sorry for that."

"I've moved on past that, babe," Simon replied. Vince and his partners arrived. "Got your little friend right here."

"Good job, Simon." Vince bowed his head and glared into Alex's eyes. "I see you haven't changed much, Mack. Still too nosy and stupid for your own good. Seriously, whatever possessed you to come here?"

"I only came to deliver food to Dad," Alex spat back. She then looked at Vince oddly. "Funny, though. You don't seem too surprised about the powers."

"Heh. I never believed you ever got rid of them to begin with." Vince smirked, which made Alex nervous. "Take it from a military man. Once you've experienced power, no one in their right mind ever wants to let go. It's human nature."

Alex chuckled. "Jealous of me?"

"Not really. I've earned _my_ power, so I don't need crutches." Vince turned to Simon. "Drug her and take her to the van."

Alex's eyes went wide. "D-drug me?"

"Of course," Vince replied. "Can't afford to have you running around any more than you already have. Now come along, little girl."

But Alex didn't look too scared. "Hey, Simon. Wanna go for a trip?" she suddenly spoke up. Alex squinted as she focused her mental strength on picking Simon off the ground, making him nearly panic as he felt his feet leave the ground. Alex then focused on herself and leapt _five feet_ into the air before landing on the floor back-first... sandwiching Simon in the process. He laid there unmoving, looking like he had just been sacked by a linebacker.

Now furious, Vince and the others opened fire, but Alex focused more energy into forming a force-field in front of her, stopping the bullets from coming close. Still mentally holding the shield, Alex ran down a side-hallway as fast as she could, sweating profusely as she felt her physical and mental strength begin to wane. _With all this action going on, it's any wonder I'm still moving,_ she realized.

* * *

As Alex turned the corner, the force-field left behind her dropped, allowing one of the punks to step forward. "After her!" he shouted.

"Forget it!" Vince grabbed the unconscious Simon's arm, making him reflexively wince as he gripped the burned area. "Let's just get out." No one objected as Vince led them to the truck depot, tossed Simon in the back hatch of the punks' truck, and ordered the others to drive the vehicle away.

Vince then got back into his own van and followed. _In less than 30 seconds, the C4 will blow and everybody will be too busy investigating it to bother chasing us._ Vince grinned.

_Police, FBI, Military, all as predictable as clockwork. Just blow something up, and they'll be drawn to it like moths._

_

* * *

_

Rounding the final corner and gasping from her lengthy running, Alex barged into the workstation. "Dad!" she exclaimed as she saw George sitting in his chair all tied up.

"Alex?" George looked up to see his daughter running up towards him. "Goddammit, Alex, get out of here! That thing's gonna blow up in less than a minute!"

"What thing?" George nodded towards his computer, where the C4 ticked away, and Alex gulped. Alex looked around, but saw no place to throw the C4 into, and there was no time to undo the ropes. That left her with only one escape option for them both. "Dad, I know you're gonna be mad at me for this, but hold on."

Alex grabbed George's hand and morphed once more, this time liquifying him on contact and flowing into a single puddle. With her passenger, Alex made a beeline for the air-vent and flowed through, just as the C4 exploded and enveloped the office in vaporizing heat and flames. Alex was barely able to turn a corner to avoid the brunt of the flames as they poured in after her, though they lessened significantly as it dispersed through other paths in the ventilation system.

George, to his credit, said nothing as he felt his molecules shift every which way. Alex, on the other hand, was struggling to hold together as she felt herself tremble like gelatin. She had done so much with her powers in so short a timespan that she was running out of stamina. _But if I reform in the vents, we'll be crushed,_ she realized. Putting every last thought of hers into forming into a solid ball, Alex barreled through one more turn before accelerating full-speed for an exit vent. _30 feet, 20 feet... 10 feet... 5... 3... 2... 1!_

BLAM! The silver ball launched out of the vent like a cannonball and splattered right into the side of a truck. As the liquid substance oozed down towards the ground, it slowly reformed into a dazed George and a very woozy Alex. She was barely able to recognize her location as the truck depot before passing out. George, meanwhile, shakily got up and left the depot to find Barbara, his face utterly expressionless.

* * *

As the explosion went off, the police cowered back to shield themselves from any possible debris. A black sedan then pulled up and out stepped Grace. "Holy-! What happened?" she asked as she approached the Officer in Charge.

"Dunno, especially in this volatile place," he replied. "We were just about to breach when it went off."

"Well, don't just stand there!" Grace shouted back as she showed her badge. "There's hostages in there! We need to move now!"

"Alright, men." The OIC waved to his men, who nodded in unison. "You heard the lady. Let's move!"

At once, the officers and Grace barged in through the glass doors, guns at the ready as they poured into the lobby and spread out through the halls. Thankfully, no one was around to fire at them as they checked each of the rooms and recovered the hostages inside. They looked scared and distraught, but otherwise unharmed.

Elsewhere, Grace and a small group slowly approached the blown-up R&D area and peered inside the smoldering wreckage. "Damn..." Grace whispered as she surveyed the view. A creaking sound made Grace turn her head, and she saw the uniformed Garth creep out of a storeroom. "Hey, you! FREEZE!" Grace shouted as Garth ran off. He didn't get far when he tripped on a piece of debris and fell, allowing Grace to catch him. "Whoa, hey, where do you think you're going?"

"Let go of me, you broad!" Garth protested. "I have rights, you know!"

"We'll be the judge of that." Cuffing Garth tight by the wrists, Grace escorted him back out to the lobby, where the OIC and several officers waited. "Well, what did we find?"

"No dead bodies, thank god," the OIC replied with relief. "There were a few knocked-out stiffs in the halls, though. Several of the hostages identified them as their captors. I guess someone may have gotten loose and knocked them out. We'll ask them when they wake up, preferably with new 'bracelets'."

Grace pushed Garth forward. "I found this fine chap trying to flee the scene. Does he work here?"

The OIC looked at the punk detestfully. "I doubt it. One of the hostages mentions someone hitting him over the head and stealing his clothes."

Grace smirked. "I don't think those aforementioned rights are gonna be around much longer." Garth merely said nothing.

"One more thing," the OIC continued. "We've been asked by one of the hostages, one Mrs. Barbara Mack to find her husband." Grace's eyes lit up again. "About five foot nine, heavy-set, balding hair. We haven't found him yet, but-"

"Barbara!" George staggered into the lobby. "Barbara!" A pair of officers grabbed George and steadied him onto a lobby chair. "Excuse me, but I'm looking for my wife."

"Please, sir. Just sit down," one of the officers replied. "You're obviously not feeling too well."

"I don't care. BARBARA!"

Grace looked at George and smiled, then turned to the OIC. "Bring her to him, please?" The OIC left the lobby and went outside. A second later, he came back with Barbara, who quickly ran into George's arms and cried into his shoulder.

"Ohhh..." Barbara moaned. "I... I was afraid I'd lost you."

"You're not the only one," George replied. "Anyway, we need to get home... and have a word with _someone_."

* * *

The next hour was a whirlwind of police activity and questioning, mainly towards George as he explained how Vince Carter had tried to kill him in the explosion. Thankfully for Alex, they bought his story that his ropes weren't tied fully and gave him time to escape. He also withheld from mentioning the stolen flash drive, not that they'd be able to confirm its theft since the explosion destroyed his office.

Finally, though, he and Barbara were able to drive home. No sooner did they step through the front door than they saw Alex Mack sitting on the couch, watching a news report on the break-in. Alex looked up and saw her parents looking back at her, their gazes something between confusion and anger.

Alex grimaced. She knew what was coming. She knew it would've happened eventually, just like last time. She had just hoped it wouldn't have been like this.

"Alex," Barbara began cautiously. "I think you owe us an explanation."

"Can it wait until morning?"

Barbara glared. "Alex..." Sighing, Alex turned off the TV and turned to face her parents.

What followed next was the hardest explanation she ever had to give, about the antidote's failure and her keeping quiet about it and everything. George and Barbara only listened silently, their expressions constantly shifting between fear, awe, and betrayal.

"So, let me understand this, Alex," George spoke. "You're saying that, for all this time, the antidote didn't work... _and you didn't tell us?_" The normally soft-spoken father was practically fuming. "And after all the trouble your silence caused the _last time?_ The first time I could understand. You were young and afraid, but now you've got no excuse for this one!"

"George..." Barbara put a hand to her husband's lap. "I know you're angry, and I am too, but let's keep calm here. Remember your heart problems."

"Goddammit, Alex, I asked you... I _told_ you to tell me if there was any problems caused by the antidote. You know we raised you better than that!"

"There was no problem, Dad," Alex explained. "It just... didn't... work..." she trailed off awkwardly.

"Well, after how you kept these... _symptoms_ a secret and how they almost got us all killed three years ago, we thought you would've learned your lesson about trusting us," Barbara explained. "We do love you, but we don't like being left out like this."

"Annie figured we'd give you peace of mind," Alex moped. "If you did know, you'd probably be worrying constantly about me."

"Now I _am_ worried, Alex. Worried and angry, because now I can't even trust you!" George's face was turning dark red from how angry he was. "How do I know that my daughter's not doing something illegal with these... these _things_ you do? What else are you keeping from us, huh? Huh? Huh... Huh..." George suddenly clutched his heart and spasmed in pain. "Huaarrghhh!"

"GEORGE!" Barbara screamed, quickly grabbing her husband's shoulder and trying not to let him crash to the floor. "Alex, help him up!" Barbara stared into Alex's eyes. Alex didn't respond. "Please, Alex?"

But Alex was absolutely paralyzed at the sight of her dad going into cardiac arrest. Before she knew it, she had suddenly morphed and slithered away. "Please don't run, Alex! Alex?" Barbara tried to chase after her daughter, but Alex simply flowed down the kitchen sink and out of the house. "ALLLLLEXXXXXX!" She was gone, well into Pittsville's sewer system.

Realizing that George's life was still at risk, Barbara grabbed the kitchen phone and dialed 911. _Dammit, Alex!_ she sobbed to herself.

_Why do you keep doing this to us?_

_

* * *

_

It was raining outside again when Annie stepped out of the bathroom in her motel room, having just come out of the shower. Fastening her bathrobe, Annie sat down on her bed and switched on the TV. As she expected, news coverage of the Sedgewick break-in was on every channel. She eventually stopped on one channel and watched as the Sedgewick CEO stated his report to the press.

_"I'm happy to report that the explosion was isolated within a small workarea, and that no harmful substances have been caught in the blast or leaked out to the surrounding area,"_ the CEO announced. _"We are grateful for the swift, decisive action of our local police and fire departments, as well as the FBI, for their efforts to contain the damage. However, we have reason to believe that a third party was involved in the rescue of our employees. Whoever he or she is, we hope that this unsung hero will accept our gratitude."_

Annie suddenly looked up, somehow knowing that she was no longer alone in the room. "You sure do have a way of keeping a low profile, don't you, Alex?" She turned around to see Alex standing in the bathroom's doorframe, looking upset.

"I told them," she plainly said.

"What?"

"Our parents... I told them," Alex repeated. "Now Dad's in the hospital and Mom's never going to trust me again."

Annie scowled at her sister. "Exactly _how_ did they find out?"

Alex took a deep breath, expecting the worst from Annie. "Well, when I heard about what was going on at Sedgewick, with the break-in and the hostages, I..." Alex shook her head. "I had to do something, Annie!"

"Why couldn't you just wait for the cops?"

"What are you, heartless?" Alex protested in disbelief. "There were innocent people in there. Heck, Dad would've been blown to bits if it wasn't for me, and here you are more worried about my secret than the fact that we could've been orphaned today."

"DAMMIT, ALEX!" Annie shouted. "You just can't leave well enough alone, can you? You _always_ have to stick your nose where it doesn't belong and for what? So you end up on someone's dissection table?" Alex was speechless at her sister's uncharacterisitic outburst. "I ask you... I tell you... I _warn_ you about what happens when you act recklessly. I didn't make up those rules for no good reason, you know. They're there so that you, me, and everybody else doesn't get hurt or killed over seeing you make a few stray zaps. And furthermore..."

As her rant continued unabated, Alex felt herself steadily growing angrier towards Annie, until something finally snapped in her head. "SHUT UP!" Without warning, Annie was suddenly knocked off her feet and slammed against the wall. The normally calm elder sister winced in pain as Alex stood up, looking positively ballistic. "You think you can come back and act as though you still control my life?" she screamed. Annie tried to move, but she quickly found that she was being telekinetically pinned and thus was completely immobile. "I'm not a helpless little girl, not then, not now, and not ever! And yet you're STILL treating me like I'm a stupid little brat with an overactive metabolism!"

Annie gasped in pain. "I did it... to keep you safe..."

"That's no excuse anymore!" Alex glared. "I did what I felt was needed! If you don't like it, then you can just kiss my-"

"Alex... this is... a hotel room. Someone... might hear you," Annie groaned, afraid that Alex may have broken one of her ribs... or would soon do so. With a grunt of anger, Alex released her mental hold, allowing Annie to collapse to the floor. "I... was just... helping..." she weakly admitted as she laid there on the floor.

"I don't need your help anymore, Annie," she whispered.

"Alex..."

"Just go away." Alex slowly walked away, never once looking back. Without a further word, Alex strode out of the hotel room, down the hall, and into the stairwell. It wasn't until she was out in the parking lot amidst the pouring rain that the remorse finally kicked in. Alex collapsed to her knees and cried into the street.

From her room's window, Annie could see Alex on the ground in sadness. She considered calling out to her, but decided against it. Sighing, Annie bowed her head in shame as she saw Alex morph where she was and flow away.

* * *

_Russo residence..._

Robyn was sound asleep in her room when she heard a tapping at her window. Looking over at the window, Robyn saw Alex looking back at her as she sat perched outside, the rain pounding her back. "Just come in, Alex." Alex quickly morphed through the open crack into the room and reformed. "What is it?"

"Robyn?" Alex quietly spoke, which was not the kind of tone Robyn expected to hear. "Can I stay with you for a few days?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"I... I don't know. I've had some problems at home and..." Alex trailed off. "I just need some time to think."

Robyn rubbed her chin in thought, then hesitantly shrugged. "Well, I suppose you can. Just let me make some room for you."

"Don't bother. I'll sleep on the floor." Alex morphed and sloshed herself into a corner of the room. _"Good night,"_ she gurgled bitterly. Robyn said nothing as she went back to bed, but she knew Alex long enough to know when something was wrong with her.

* * *

And somewhere else at the edge of town, another person watched the late-night news intently. What she had been seeing all day was not good news.

_"The police has released new information regarding the Sedgewick break-in from earlier today,"_ the newscaster announced as a stock photo of Vince appeared onscreen. _"Testimony from one of the hostages has identified this man, Vincent Carter, as the leader behind the break-in. Carter is a known military criminal whose last known sighting was three years ago in the now-abandoned town of Paradise Valley. The police has requested that any information pertaining to Carter is to be reported immediately."_

At that moment, Vince entered the room with a confident smile. "Well, I got the files like you wanted," he announced as he entered the office and slid the flash drive onto the desk. "Even after all these years, Mack is still a pitiful wiener of a man."

"And he was supposed to be dead before you left." Vince winced at the piercing words of his superior, who didn't even turn to face him as she sat there watching the TV. "If you had just simply shot him instead of playing mad bomber-"

"Maybe you should've done the same to that wretched mutant years ago," Vince argued back. "Then she wouldn't have bailed the old man out at the last second. Heck, you'd still be running Paradise Valley if it wasn't for her."

"Don't be dictating terms with me, Vincent!" she shouted. "Your goal was to get the files without anybody identifying you. Now that the authorities have Mack's testimony, it's only a matter of time before they start snooping around here. You know I can't afford to have any cops on me again." For a moment, there was tense silence between the two.

After a long pause, Vince spoke up. "Well, what about Alex Mack?" he asked. "It's obvious that she's gonna be a problem if we ignore her."

"That she will," she responded. "I personally would've hoped to wait a while longer beforehand, but after this fiasco, something needs to be done and now!"

"So what do you want done about it?"

The chair spun around towards Vince, revealing the cold, calculating figure of Danielle Atron as she glared into his eyes. "Find Alex Mack and bring her to me alive," she ordered. "I think it's time her and I have a little... heart-to-heart."

_END OF PART 2_


	3. Chapter 3

_PART 3_

"C'mon, Alex! You haven't moved from that spot for three hours." Alex merely sat in the corner of the room as Robyn looked over her angrily. "The last thing I want is you dying of rigormortus."

Alex scowled. "Isn't that for dead bodies?"

"This is my room, y'know, and you can't stay in here forever."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, but you just can't!"

Alex crossed her arms. "Can and will." Right now, Alex was having some inner turmoil. Just over three hours ago, she had exposed her powers to her parents, made her father collapse from a grief-induced heart attack, and attacked her sister out of anger. Now, she was in no mood to talk as her mind tried its hardest to decide on something.

"Look, you're upset. I understand that," Robyn said, "but this won't solve anything."

"And you want me to leave, is that it?" snapped Alex.

"Well, it'd be a start."

"Finr, I'm leaving! See?" Alex instantly morphed and shot out of the corner towards the window. "I don't need you nagging anyway!"

"Alex, I didn't mean it like that, but-" Alex oozed out the window. "Wait! Come back, Alex!" Looking out the window, Robyn saw that Alex was already out of sight. "ALEX?"

* * *

Elsewhere in Pittsville Gardens, at the police department, Grace Lasky was having problems of her own with an equally-stubborn prisoner. "Look, I'm being perfectly reasonable," Grace calmly spoke as she sat across from Garth in the empty room, a pair of guards standing in front of the only door leading out. "You're not making this any easier for yourself."

"I want my lawyer!"

"And what does THAT have to do with anything?"

"I dunno! I thought it was something you're supposed to say when you're being grilled."

"Just pay attention," she ordered. Garth merely looked back indignantly. "Now, according to George Mack's testimony, you were working for Vince Carter, a known military criminal with one of the most indicting records around. He's always been a slippery one for us to catch, and being able to link him to the Sedgewick break-in was nothing short of a lucky break. If you would just tell us something... anything pertaining to his involvement-"

"I'm tellin' ya, we weren't told anything," Garth snapped. "He only told us to keep everybody from seeing him. Nothing else."

"So, you didn't know anything?"

Garth stood up angrily, nearly making the guards jump in response. "Are you deaf? That's what I keep saying!"

"Whoa, hey, easy now," Grace calmly ordered. Swearing under his breath, Garth sat back down. "Look, you're in enough trouble as it is. Losing your temper is only going to make it worse. Now, please tell us anything you know about Vince's antics."

"I know nothing. Honest," Garth once more answered. "I'd gladly tell you if I knew, but that Vince guy only told Simon in detail. And I don't know where Simon is, either, so don't bother asking."

"Well, why were you in that storeroom?"

"The guy I had knocked out was starting to make a racket, so I had to quiet him down. Then some explosion goes off and I end up hiding in there with him."

"Riii-ight," Grace rolled her eyes. "I need a moment with the others. If there's anything you feel I need to know, don't hesitate to tell someone on my behalf." Garth was silent as Grace left the holding tank. An officer then approached her. "Anything from the others?" she asked.

"Not a peep. They're as much in the dark as he is." The officer shook his head. "What gets me, though, is how we found them. All of them were laying unconscious out in the halls. When questioned, they said something about a girl shooting sparks at them. Most likely one of their hostages got loose and had a taser."

"Or maybe she was that rumored third-party," Grace theorized.

"So far, none of them have provided a solid description," he continued. "The only consistent element among them all is that she was wearing a red hat."

_Red hat?_ Not betraying her emotions, Grace nodded calmly. "Thank you, sir. Anyway, I'm going out for a coffee. Let me know if anybody starts singing." Saluting the officer, Grace left the station and walked to her car.

As she got in, Grace reached down under her seat and pulled out a manila folder. Inside was a large photo of Alex from an interview three years ago, as well as various notes and snippets of information collected on her. Flipping through the pages aimlessly, Grace rubbed her chin in thought.

_What are you up to, Alex?_

* * *

And over at the Pittsville Motel, one more Alex-related discussion was about to take place. As Annie Mack sat in her bed reading a college textbook, a loud knocking drew her attention towards the door. "Hold on, I'm coming." Pulling herself out of bed, Annie slipped on a robe and walked over to the door, wincing slightly as the bruises from earlier ached with each step. "Oh, hi Mom," she greeted as she saw Barbara Mack looking back at her, a worried expression on her face.

"Hello, Annie," Barbara greeted. "You haven't seen Alex by any chance, have you?"

"She was here a couple hours ago," Annie answered, "and I'm really not in the mood to discuss how she's feeling. That girl's dangerous when she's in a bad mood. Next thing I know, she'll be blowing her top like Sissy Spacek."

Barbara nodded, not quite getting the reference but understanding her daughter's tone. "Anyway, George has been checked into the hospital. His heart attack's mild, but he'll need some time to recover. I just wanted to let you know."

"Thanks," Annie replied, "and I'll call if I hear anything about Alex."

Barbara turned to walk away, but paused. "Actually..." she trailed off. "I was wondering... if I could stay with you tonight? I really don't want to be going home to an empty house."

Annie threw her hands up in exasperation. "What am I, a halfway house?" Barbara glared. "Fine. I'll just call the manager and tell him that I'm having company... again."

"Thanks." Barbara walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "Annie, you've known about Alex longer than me. What do you think she's doing right now?"

Annie sat down next to her mother and put a hand on her shoulder. "Knowing Alex, she's probably hiding somewhere feeling sorry for herself," she theorized. "She'll come around when she's ready."

* * *

Over in Pittsville Park, Alex was sitting in her private ditch, her arms crossed in a bitter gesture of anger. Specifically, anger at herself.

It was true that Alex had grown so accustomed to her powers in the past seven years. She never really thought of how truly dangerous she could be to others... until seven years of anger for feeling held back by Annie finally exploded in a metakinetic tantrum towards her. She was lucky she hadn't killed Annie in her rage, and after all the flaunting she had been doing to those punks recently, it was amazing that she hadn't killed them either. Alex doubted that she could ever live with a death on her conscience.

"Is this seat taken?"

Alex looked up to see Robyn. "How'd you find me?" she asked.

"I've come out here a few times myself," Robyn explained. "Pretty out-of-the-way, huh?"

Alex sighed. "Robyn," she began, "I'm sorry for snapping back there. It's just that you don't quite understand what I have to put up with." Alex looked away towards the sky. "At least you don't have to deal with overbearing sisters and crazy ex-security guards. You're just... normal."

"There's no such thing as normal, Alex." Robyn replied, much to Alex's surprise. "Normal's just a label that society stamps on people to placate the masses. At least, that's what Nicole called it."

"So, what else do I do about it?" Alex argued. "It's not like I can just take an antidote or something. Believe me, I tried it already."

"And you're complaining?" countered Robyn in a unusually-strong tone. "Y'know what I think? I think that maybe you were given these powers for a reason. That someone or something wanted you to be this person."

Alex snorted. "To be what? A mutated freak?"

"You're not a freak, Alex. You're just... you." Robyn sat down next to Alex. "But feeling sorry for yourself is not like you. I mean, you're brave, you're funny, you've got the looks and and the powers. Me, I'm a mental train wreck who freezes up under pressure. I couldn't even be there for you when you needed help the most."

Alex removed her hat and gazed into Robyn's eyes in curious awe. "Am I really that important to you?"

"I just want to be strong, like you," she explained, "which is why I can't stand seeing you mope like this. It makes you look more like... me."

For a while, both girls simply sat quietly in thought, doing nothing but look up at the stars. The rains had already passed, leaving not a cloud in the sky.

Eventually, Alex broke the silence and stood up. "I suppose I should head back and apologize to Annie." She turned to Robyn and helped her up to her feet. "Though she's not gonna let me off lightly, that much is certain. She's a very stubborn woman."

Robyn chuckled. "She'd have to be if she's your sister."

"Good point. Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. And thanks." Alex walked off towards the entrance of the park. With a smile of private relief, Robyn began to leave for her own home... and nearly jumped when she heard a gunshot.

* * *

_Seconds prior..._

"Annie..." Alex began as she went over her planned explanation. "I'm sorry for attacking you, but... I really don't appreciate being treated like a kid." She shook her head. "No, that sounds too blunt." Undaunted, Alex tried again. "Annie, listen, whaddya say? Let's just let bygones be... Oh, now that's just lame. Honestly, who says bygones anymore?"

Alex was so intent on finding the right way to apologize that she didn't notice the laser sight flashing over her back. A second later, a sharp pain struck Alex and sent her collapsing to the ground. Instantly, she could feel an inexplicible fatigue coming over her. Alex tried to morph in hopes of getting away, but her mind was simply too hazy to respond.

Just before blacking out, Alex heard footsteps... and a voice. "Just relax, Mack," came the gravelly tone of Vince. "I don't want you dead... yet." Alex couldn't reply as she drifted off. Confident that she wasn't going anywhere, Vince tossed Alex over his shoulder and marched out of the park... unaware that someone had seen the whole thing.

Slowly creeping behind him, Robyn followed Vince to the park entrance, just in time to see him open up the back of his van. "Forgive the mess," he taunted as he swept aside some old papers and dumped Alex in the back. Vince closed up the van, got in, and drove away, leaving Robyn staring back fearfully.

As she stood there, a small piece of paper fluttered down towards her feet. Noticing it, Robyn picked it up and realized that it was a business card, most likely swept out of the van when Vince moved the papers. Her fearful gaze turned to determination. _Just hang in there, Alex, _she swore as she ran off. _This time, I'm gonna earn my keep._

* * *

A low-toned humming sound. Flickering lights. Those were what Alex heard and saw, in that order, when she woke up. Her head, however, was in a haze. "What... just happened?" she absently muttered. "Where am I?"

Alex stepped forward, only to smack her face upon a clear surface. "Ouch!" she groaned as she rubbed her nose. Shaking her head clear, Alex examined her surroundings in better detail. As everything came into better focus, she saw that she was in some kind of dimly-lit storage room, and that she was trapped inside a quarantine tube, which she knew from prior experience as being airtight and completely shockproof. _This is some serious Deja Vu,_ she told herself.

And over near what was the only door out of the room, a tough-looking man stood at attention, arms crossed. Alex recognized him clearly. "The tranquilizer has worn off," Vince announced. "She's awake and ready for you."

"Excellent, Vince. And just when I was starting to get impatient." Alex suddenly felt a cold chill go down her spine at hearing that voice. The last time she had heard it was three years ago, and she never forgot the wicked tone it brought forth with every syllable. "Hello, Alex. It's been a while since we've met like this. Surely you haven't forgotten about me, right?"

Turning to the source of the voice, Alex saw a large rolling chair to her side, its back facing her. At once, it spun forward to reveal the one woman Alex prayed she'd never have to cross paths with again. Short red hair and a tan business suit, her image was unmistakable. "Danielle Atron," Alex spat with contempt.

Atron smiled. "Of course," she replied. "Don't look so surprised. You didn't honestly think I was out of your life forever, did you?"

"I figured you'd be too busy feeding your fishes to notice."

Atron briefly growled in anger, then collected her composure. "I'm enjoying this, you know," she said, changing the subject, "I find it very nostalgic. I hope you're enjoying it, too. After all, I picked it out especially for you."

"Why? What for?"

"So we could talk, of course," Atron continued. "Given the circumstances of before, we never truly got to know each other, and I imagine you have a few pressing questions nagging on your mind, right? Well, go ahead, Alex. Ask me anything you like."

"Alright, I'll start with the obvious one." Alex leaned back on the plexiglass cage and crossed her arms. "Why aren't you spending life in prison?"

Atron chuckled. "Still not too sharp, are you? If you recall, thanks to PV-Chem going up in flames, there wasn't enough evidence to put me away forever."

"Well, what about the charges?" Alex pressed on. "Faking reports and bribing voters was pretty serious. Not to mention what you had done to that one guy. You know he's in therapy because of you drugging him?"

"True, but the parole board was quite sympathetic, especially after Vince gave them a little... heads-up on my behalf," the ex-CEO boasted. "You see, he runs a security firm, or at least he did since PV-Chem, and part of his job is collecting information on others. You'd be amazed as to what people will do to have their deepest secrets protected..."

"So, you're saying that you had Vince blackmail the parole board, right?"

"I prefer to think of it as helping people make good decisions, but yes," Atron replied. "After my time behind bars, I got in contact with Vince and forgave him for his past mistakes, then offered my services in building up his security firm. Together, we turned Off-The-Record Security from a struggling home business into a profitable money-making operation. It was all on the level, and the profit was quite handsome."

Alex snorted in disbelief. "So then why am I here? I figured I'd be the last person you ever wanted to see again."

"After I caught wind of you sneaking about Sedgewick yesterday, I realized that I would be digging my own proverbial grave if I didn't stop you before you started getting too involved. And after all the past trouble you've caused me, I wasn't going to take any chances," Atron answered. "Personally, I had hoped you would've turned yourself in a long time ago. We could've made quite the team. Between your powers and my brilliance, the whole world would've been at our fingertips." For a moment, there was a slight twinge of pride in her voice. "Instead, you humiliated me in front of my plant and my city. Any forgiveness I had for you died when PV-Chem blew up."

"You blame me for that? If I recall, you're the one who set the bombs, not me."

"Well, you're the one who drove me to do it!"

"Well, you're the one who tried to pull the corporate crime of the century." Alex crossed her arms. "Seriously, how far back do we have to keep second-guessing ourselves? Do you want a list?"

Atron looked furious. "How dare you!" she shouted in rage. "I am Danielle Atron, the world's greatest genius, and I will not be upstaged by some... teenage... mutated... brat!"

"If you're so smart, then why am I still alive?" Alex shot back.

Atron looked bored. "Anything else?"

"Just one more." Alex took a deep breath and said a single word. "Why?"

"Why?" Atron laughed loudly, making Alex's skin crawl as the woman found humor in the question. "Life is short. If I wanted, I could've chosen to live my life with the ignorant masses, wallowing in self-pity. Instead, I chose to rise above them." Atron stood up. "There are three ideals I hold in highest regard... wealth, power, and reputation. Those who try and deny me any of those pay dearly. However, those who respect and support my ideals will find that I can be a very generous individual."

"That's only what you think of yourself as," Alex argued. "You're still the same vain, greedy woman with no respect for anything but your own ego."

"And you're still the same ungrateful little mutant with no imagination." Atron walked out of the room. As the door closed behind her, Alex was left alone with Vince in the dark room, the area barely illuminated by a few small lamps.

After a few seconds, Alex turned to Vince. "And what about you? Why are you still working for this slimeball after all the abuse she's put you through?"

"Out of respect," Vince answered. "I do her dirty work in secret, and she keeps the Feds off my back. Fired or no, I protect her with my life because I owe it to her."

"I had to ask." Alex shrugged.

"I've got a lot to make up for as it is thanks to you, so why don't you get comfy in that tube?" he taunted. "When Miss Atron gets back, she'll have a little surprise for you. Until then, you've got me to deal with, so don't even try sweet-talking your way out of this." Laughing to himself, Vince leaned back on the wall, watching Alex with an arrogant smirk.

With no visible way out of her situation, Alex slumped to the floor of the tube and buried her head in her arms. She thought about how much trouble she had gotten herself into since two nights ago, and all because she had to help a friend escape danger. Now, just like Annie warned, her actions were coming back to bite her in the rear, and she only had herself to blame.

* * *

In regards to the friend in question, Robyn was at the police station pleading her case. "I'm telling you the truth, officer," she protested to the police officer at the desk. "I saw my friend get kidnapped, and I've got something that'll help find her!"

"Look, Miss... Russo, was it?" The officer gave a sympathetic smile, but it was clear on his face that he was tired and overworked. "I know you're worried, but we've been so busy with the Sedgewick case that we can't spare a man right now."

"Is this the way you treat your taxpayers?" argued Robyn. "Listen, my friend is in danger! Alex is getting tortured and you're not doing anything!"

"You have to understand that we've got our hands full."

Grace suddenly came into the station. "What's going on?"

"This girl came in and started talking about her friend being kidnapped," the officer explained. "I told her that we're busy as it is."

"I'll handle this." Shooing the man away, Grace turned to face Robyn, "So, what seems to be the problem, Miss...?"

"Uhh... Robyn Russo." Robyn looked at Grace intently. "Have we met? You look like someone I met in high school once."

"I... uh... get that a lot," Grace lied. "Anyway, I'm with the FBI. What's this about your friend being kidnapped?"

"It... It's Alex," Robyn nervously replied. "She was just walking through the park when... someone shot her and she fell over. Then he took her away in his car and-"

Grace was now worried. "And... he didn't notice you?"

"I was hiding!"

"What did he look like?"

"It was dark, but he had crew-cut blonde hair and... and..." Robyn shook her head.

"Well, I don't know what else I can do if I don't have something definitive."

"He also dropped this." Robyn pulled out the business card and showed it to Grace. Sure enough, it was for Off-The-Record Security. "There's no address, but I thought maybe you'd be able to... well..."

"I think this will work." Grace smiled, appreciative as to finally getting a lead on the case. "Can you come with me, please?"

Robyn nodded as Grace led her to a small room, where some old devices sat on shelves. Grace stopped at one such device and took it out. "What's that?" Robyn asked.

"A phone tracer," Grace explained. "Basically, it'll tell us where her kidnapper is hiding, assuming he stays on the line for a full minute." As Grace set up the device, she glared towards Robyn with a serious expression. "Listen, I'm going to need to ask you to help on this. I need you to talk to talk to whoever the kidnapper is and do everything possible to keep him from hanging up."

"Why me? You're the agent."

"Just do it, okay?" Grace pleaded. "Please? For your friend's sake?" Fixing a few wires, Grace sat down and handed Robyn a phone.

"I suppose it's a felony to disobey an agent of the FBI anyway." Holding back her nerves for the time being, Robyn took the phone and dialed the number. After a few rings, someone picked up. "Hello, may I speak to the owner of Off-The-Record Security?" she asked as Grace activated the tracer.

* * *

_Back with Alex..._

_Okay, let's review. I'm alone in a quarantine tube, held by a woman who hates my guts, and I can't break the plexiglass. Vince is watching me like a hawk, and no one even knows I'm here, so we can rule out all possibilities of a rescue._ Alex sat down and racked her brain for an idea. _Think, Alex!_

As Alex glanced around, she saw a small console with several buttons on it, one of them marked 'Release'. And there, at its base, was a small cardboard box. _Bingo!_ Alex exclaimed, but then frowned. _But I can't do it while Vince is playing watchdog._

"Vince!" Atron called out from what sounded like downstairs. "Telephone!" Growling a curse, Vince left the room, leaving Alex alone.

_Whoa! Talk about a lucky break!_ Alex reached out with her mind and tried to pick up the box, hoping that she could drop it on the console and hit the button. However, as she telekinetically latched onto the box, she realized that her plan had an unexpected snag. _Ngggh... Can't move it..._ she grunted as the box barely wobbled. _C'mon, Alex! You once lifted a concrete pipe, for cripes' sake, and that was over five years ago. Surely you can handle this._ But as Alex tried again, she realized that something was adhering the box to the ground and thus was making it impossible to budge.

Slumping back down, Alex groaned and kicked the glass out of anger. As she did so, though, she noticed something odd at the foot of the tube. It was a small thin crack in the reinforced glass. Alex perked up. _If I can chip that open a bit, I might be able to ooze out of here,_ she realized. Alex began kicking furiously at the glass, trying her hardest to make even the smallest of openings.

After a few kicks, she managed to chisel open a small hole, about the width of the side of a quarter. With no time to keep at it, Alex morphed and pooled herself towards the teeny-tiny gap and tried to flow through it. However, it was too tight and Alex was simply too dense. _C'mon, Alex! Focus!_ Alex spread her liquid mass outward, trying to make herself as inhumanely thin as possible. She was groaning in discomfort as she could feel the faintest bit of her liquid state seeping out of the crack and to the other side. Slowly, Alex brought more and more of her mass through the crack.

* * *

"So, would you say that Ruinator VI is better or worse than Supercop IV?" Robyn asked in as confident a voice she could manage. Having made some business calls for her father at the funeral parlor back in Paradise Valley, Robyn had some experience in calling for information, and she had been stalling Vince for over a half-minute posing as a phone-survey attendant.

_"About even,"_ came Vince's uncaring response. _"Listen, as much as I like those films, I've got work to do."_

Grace testily checked her watch. "Just twenty more seconds, Robyn," she whispered

"Please don't go!" Robyn pleaded, almost desperately. "I mean, your opinion is... um... very important and we... uh... need a valid answer before we can... process... the results."

She could hear Vince's exasperated moaning on the other end. _"Alright, fine! I give them both a five,"_ he snapped.

"Five out of five, or five out of ten?"

_"I don't care! Can I hang up now?"_

Grace nodded, signaling that the trace had completed. "Yes, sir. Thank you for your time." Vince slammed the phone off on his end. "Well, did you find him?" Robyn asked.

"He's not in Pittsville, but about two miles outside the city line. It's actually not far from here," she explained. "Anyway, I thank you for your help, but now I think you should leave things to the adults."

"Wait!" Robyn grabbed Grace's arm. "I'm coming with you."

"It might get dangerous."

"I don't care! Alex is my friend, and I'm not gonna let her down a second time."

As those words crossed Grace's mind, she thought about her own promise to Alex. Thus, she sighed and forced a smile. "Okay, but stay in the car." Their goals set, the two ladies left for Grace's car.

* * *

Alex groaned again. She had squeezed enough of herself out to the point where just over half of her liquified mass was leaking out the side. Just then, she heard clomping of shoes. _Vince!_ she realized. _No time to ooze out. I gotta escape now!_

'Looking' out through her hand, Alex focused herself into doing something she hadn't really tried before. The metallic liquid of her body began to stretch outward into a long limb, then slowly formed a crude hand at the end, complete with fingers. _I can do this, I can do this..._ she repeatedly chanted as she stretched her liquid arm towards the cardboard box at the foot of the console. Willing her arm to grab the box, Alex liquified it into herself, and was delighted to feel the added mass flowing into her being. Alex stretched her arm out the last half-foot needed to pound the release button hard. At once, the plexiglass tube hissed as it rose up and allowed Alex freedom.

Whooping in victory, Alex gathered her liquified form back into the puddle and reformed, allowing her to stand once more as a human 19-year-old girl... holding a cardboard box. She then looked at the bottom of the box. Sure enough, there were traces of super-glue around the edges. _No wonder I couldn't lift it,_ she realized. Looking at where the box originally sat, Alex saw the reason why. It had been covering the wiring that ran from the console into the floor, where they were connected to the quarantine tube's base.

Seeing the hole in the floor gave Alex an idea, and none too soon. Vince was already in earshot.

* * *

"How the hell do those telemarketers do it?" Vince groused. "My number's unlisted, so there should be no way they can-" Vince stopped short as he looked into the storage room. More specifically, the now-empty quarantine tube. "Aw, no!" Fumbling for his phone, Vince was unaware of the shadow oozing out of the hole and towards his leg. "Miss Atron? Miss Atron? Pick up! That brat just- OOMPH!" The silvery mass suddenly latched onto Vince and began wrapping itself around him. Before he even knew what was going on, a sudden electric shock coursed through Vince, knocking him out.

Alex reformed and looked over her handiwork. With Vince out cold but unharmed, most of her hassles in escaping were gone. _"Vince, are you there?"_ Atron barked fron the other end. _"Vince? Vince?"_ But Alex was already running downstairs.

She was just coming down the steps when Alex jerked her head up and glanced to her side, just in time to see a stream of electricity approaching her. With reflexes possible only for a superhuman like her, Alex dropped to the floor and rolled off to the side, evading the blast cleanly as it struck the wall.

Catching her breath, Alex looked towards the wall, now charred black. Alex then saw something that made her throat run dry: Danielle Atron standing at the far end of the hall, holding a large, high-tech rifle of some sort.

"You're a lot more resourceful than I thought, mutant," Atron said with a sneer, "but you didn't really think I was going to fight someone like you without an ace up my sleeve, did you?" Holding up the weapon, Atron squeezed the trigger and fired another bolt of electricity. Alex was barely able to register the attack in time to morph down to the floor and reform out of the way. "This is something Vince had been working on for some time. It's an electron rifle, perfect for deep-frying pests who just don't take a hint."

Atron fired off two more lightning bolts. Alex rolled out of the way of both, but she slowed down too soon and was struck right in the chest with a third shot, halting her evasive techniques with an agonizing groan of pain. Atron rubbed her chin. "Hmmm... agile AND resilient. Apparently, it's gonna take more than a single shot to roast you," she observed. "Not to worry. This baby's good for 300 yards, and I've been practicing my aim for a year."

"I've practiced mine for seven!" Alex snapped as she raised her palm and blasted a powerful zap. It missed Atron as she dove to the floor, making the bolt hit a ceiling fixture and causing it to burst into sparks. With the room darkened and Atron stalled, Alex took advantage of the distraction to run back upstairs, leaving an irate Danielle Atron following.

* * *

_Meanwhile..._

"Well, this is where the trace leads," Grace explained as she and Robyn looked at the modest two-story house from the car. Strange flashes of light could be seen through the windows. "Odd. Must be having electrical problems."

"Uh... yeah," Robyn agreed. "Electrical problems." Right now, she was so worried about Alex that she couldn't even find a worst-case scenario to the situation. _If anything, Alex is already in it,_ she feared.

Grace reached into her purse and pulled out her badge and a gun. "Stay here, okay?" she ordered. "I'm going in."

* * *

As Atron marched into the holding room, she noted the empty quarantine tube and scowled when she saw Vince on the ground, still unconscious. Ignoring him for the time being, Atron warmed up another shot. "Alright, Alex. Come on out," she called out. "There's nowhere else to run. This room has no convenient window or air vent for you to ooze through. I personally made sure of that when I had the tube installed."

She's got a point, Alex realized as she took cover behind a desk. The only way out is through that door.

"To think you're so young and powerful, and yet you're always hiding like a worm," Atron taunted as she strode through the room. "Chappy had a good thing going when he stumbled upon GC-161. It's a shame he never capitalized on it."

"Chappy?" Alex recognized the name. There was only one person she knew of who went by that nickname. "You mean Dr. Vernell, don't you?"

Atron suddenly raised an eyebrow. "How do you know that name?" she asked.

"I met him once, years ago," Alex explained. "Last I heard, he had fled the country, but that's besides the point. He must've known what kind of a creep you were if he had to go into hiding to keep your mitts off GC-161."

"What are you talking about?"

"He said he created GC-161 at PV-Chem in 1978, and you wouldn't listen to his warnings."

"PV-Chem didn't even exist in '78. I was interning at another plant back then."

Alex now seemed confused. "But then how would you have known about Vernell's work?" she prodded on. Between what Chappy told her and Atron's words, something wasn't adding up.

Atron paused in thought for a moment, as if recalling an old memory, then sneered. "None of your business! Now show yourself."

Seeing that Atron was staring forward intently, Alex decided to gun it for the door. She silently crept around the room's perimeter, using whatever cover she could to stay out of sight. However, she was barely three feet away from the door when she tripped on a small pile of crates, kicking up loud noise.

"Gotcha!" Atron turned and fired, catching Alex in the leg. Though not a direct hit, it sent her falling helplessly to the floor. The evil woman strode over to Alex and pinned her down with her foot. "I'll give you some credit for the ingenuity and for evading me as long as you did, but you know what I've noticed about you?" she taunted as she stood over Alex, her weapon charging for the last shot she would ever need. "It's that you're always in the wrong place at the wrong time."

Alex grimaced. "Yep, that about sums up my life," she replied quietly. The end in sight, Alex closed her eyes and silently prayed. Before Atron could fire, a gunshot sounded from behind her. "What the-?"

Turning around, Atron saw Grace standing there, holding her handgun at the CEO. "Put your hands over your head!" she shouted. "On the next shot, I will hit you. Hands over your head, NOW!"

Alex barely managed to respond. "No, get out of here!" she called out, but Atron had already turned around to aim at Grace instead. _Can't... let her... hurt Grace!_ Alex strained herself to morph and ball up in what was to be her one chance to save both their lives. Furious-looking sparks began to crackle and course around Alex's morphed ball as she focused all her power into making herself as solid and electrified as possible. The silver ball that was Alex then shot forward and slammed square into Atron's back, sending her to the floor in a roar of pain.

Alex turned her attention to Grace. _"Sorry about this!"_ Alex pooled outward into her puddle-form and quickly began to absorb Grace into her silvery mass. The FBI agent seemed as if she was about to panic, but her expression quickly melted into silver liquid. _"I'll do all the driving, so hang on."_

_"Wha... buh... help!"_ Grace stammered as Alex guided their combined mass out of the room, through the halls of the house, and out a window. As they hit the sidewalk, Alex reformed them both and Grace immediately ran for the car. Alex followed, and soon they and Robyn were escaping into the night.

Growling, Atron pushed herself to her feet as Vince barged in. "Miss Atron! Alex escaped!" he shouted. He then noticed the damage throughout the room. "Uh... is this a bad time?"

Atron's only response was a painful punch to Vince's face.

* * *

Safely away from Atron's fury, Grace's car barreled down the street. "Unfortunately, with no evidence, I can't get any search warrants," she explained, "but at least you're out of danger."

Alex, however, was far from grateful. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.

"I... I had to get help," Robyn cut in. "I wasn't sure where else to go, so I went to the police station. They were too busy, but then she came out and... well... I told her about you. Not about the... y'know, but-"

"It's a little late for that now," Alex grunted. "Now comes the part where she's telling her FBI friends to prepare the dissection table, right?"

"Alex, I would never do that to you."

"That's not how I remember it, Grace!"

_Grace?_ Robyn's eyes suddenly lit up. "Now I remember! You're that Junior from High School, the one Alex was so pally-pally with!"

"Not anymore," explained Alex. "She tried to sell me out to Vince. Needless to say, the relationship soured after that."

"I told you before that I was sorry," came Grace's defense.

"You can stuff your sorries in a sack, traitor." Alex crossed her arms angrily. "Just get me home."

The rest of the ride was silent. Eventually, the car pulled up to Alex's house and she and Robyn stepped out. "Thank you, Miss Lasky," Robyn politely replied. Alex said nothing, but was courteous enough to give Grace a wave.

Grace bit her lip in shame. She disliked feeling hated, but there was nothing she could do about it. _All I can do is what I can,_ she told herself. _And maybe someday, she'll drop the anger and trust me again. One can only hope... _Holding her head high, Grace drove off.

As the two girls approached the front door, Robyn spoke up. "Alex," she quietly piped in, "you're not mad at... me, are you?"

"You? Nahhh." Alex smiled. "I'm grateful for you, at least. You're proof that there are some trustworthy people in this world."

"Yeah..." Robyn trailed off.

"I know, I know. Her." Alex sighed as she telekinetically unlocked the door from outside. "I suppose I should be grateful to her, too."

"Maybe you should give her another chance, at least."

"I'll think about it." Alex opened the door and stepped inside. "Mom? Annie?" she called out to no reply. "Anyone here?"

"Doesn't look it, Alex," Robyn said as she noticed a note on the lampstand. Alex took it and read it off.

**_Alex,_**

**_If you see this, then I'm with Annie. I should be back by morning. I'm not mad at you, but I really think we need to have a long talk about this secret world you live in._**

**_Mom_**

"Well, looks like we've got the house to ourselves," Alex replied. "But right now, I just wanna sleep. You can crash here, 'kay?"

Robyn yawned. "The way I'm feeling, I could sleep for a week." Alex had no objection as she went upstairs to her room. Robyn simply settled for crashing on the couch. Within five minutes, they were both asleep.

* * *

Back in her office, Atron sat silently in her chair, growling and swearing profusely as her electron rifle sat on the desk. Across from her stood Vince, who was nursing a bruised cheek. "Lousy mutant. Goes and makes me..." she aimlessly muttered. "Should've shot her when I had the chance years ago."

_And you complain when **I** hesitate,_ Vince thought, though he wisely kept his mouth shut, especially with Atron in reach of that weapon.

"Thinks that just because she can zap a few bolts, she can act like she owns me? Well, I can't let this interfere." Atron looked up towards Vince. "Vince, get your little black book. It's time to make a few calls," she ordered. "First and formost, we need to get any incriminating evidence out of this place. Second, we need to lure Alex back to our hands. Every moment she stays loose is a threat to my long-term strategem."

"Consider the first part done," Vince replied. "As to the second, I think I can manage something very persuasive."

* * *

_The next morning..._

As the sun shone once more over Pittsville Gardens, Annie and Barbara sat on the bed watching TV. The two women had ordered out for some breakfast while they discussed various topics, though the main one was obvious. "And you seriously thought that keeping this from me and George was the best way to go?" she asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

"We were young, we were fearful," Annie explained with a shrug. "Figured less was more. You should know all this by now."

"I do, but I never seem to accept it." Barbara sighed. "Look, Annie, I know you were trying to protect Alex and I respect that, but I think you need to learn to have more faith in people."

"Faith?" Annie scoffed. "Mom, faith is just a nontangible excuse for people to care about something without even knowing why. It's non-factual, non-scientific, and non-existent."

"So, what you're saying is, you don't trust anybody?" Barbara asked, surprised at her daughter's atheistic response. "Not even your own parents?"

"I trust you both," Annie replied, "just not with hair-trigger topics like Alex's powers."

Barbara shook her head. "Annie, let me tell you about what had happened yesterday. There I was, tied down with the other hostages. I was scared, cold, and I wondered if I was going to die. If it wasn't for Alex... I wouldn't be here, and I doubt your father would be, either."

"She didn't have to risk her life like she did."

"But she chose to anyway," Barbara continued. "It made me remember that night at PV-Chem. And on both that day and yesterday, after my initial shock wore off, I realized that I had raised a strong, brave daughter, and that I was proud of her."

Annie looked at her mother skeptically. "What are you getting at?"

"Never mind." Barbara turned away as she turned on the TV. "You're almost as bad as your father sometimes."

* * *

Back at the house, Alex and Robyn were discussing matters of their own over some cereal and milk. "So, Atron's back, huh?" Robyn asked.

"Yeah, and she seems worse than I remember. The fact that she's got Vince and all that high-tech stuff at her disposal only makes me more nervous." Alex sighed. "If it wasn't for Grace..."

"You really should cut her some slack, you know," Robyn pointed out. "She was just as much duped as you were, especially where money was involved."

"I guess..."

"Alex, you've got that look on your face." Robyn uneasily spoke. "That look that says that you're thinking of something very crazy."

"I've been thinking about last night and what happened," Alex began, "and knowing Atron, she'll hunt me down to no end. If someone can't put her in prison, I'll never get a moment's rest."

"So, what can you do about it?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

* * *

_Eight minutes and fifty-seven seconds later..._

"Are you sure you really want to do this, Alex?" Robyn asked from outside the room. "I mean, what does the outfit have to do with it?"

"In a nutshell, I intend to show Atron that I'm no longer the scared little kid from Paradise Valley, and it's hard to be taken seriously when you're wearing flannel." Robyn shrugged at Alex's unique logic. "So tell me what you think."

Alex stepped out of the room, giving Robyn a full view of her new outfit. Alex had picked out a pair of dark-toned blue jeans and a gray t-shirt, which she wore a denim blue jacket over. Her red hat, as always, sat backwards upon her head, and a pair of comfortable white sneakers completed her ensemble.

Robyn was impressed. Alex no longer looked like a 19-year-old college student to her, but rather someone more incredible. "You look... so amazing."

"Thanks, but I still say it's missing something." Alex looked at herself in the mirror.

Robyn studied Alex intently. "I think what you need is something that says 'This is me' to everybody," she answered.

"Maybe." Alex shrugged. "We can worry about fashion tips later. Right now, it's time for me to go."

"Go where?"

"Back to Atron's house," Alex replied as she put her hat's brim forward, a sure sign that she was serious. "Because after all the trouble she's caused, I think it's time someone repays the favor."

_END OF PART 3_


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Well, last chapter's here. Thanks for reading.

* * *

"How goes the transfer?"

"Smooth," was Vince's summarized reply. "My boys are moving the stuff as we speak. Spread out all throughout the back roads and detours, as ordered. We're not chancing anybody catching us."

"And where are you?"

"Back at the house," he added. "If she's as stupid as ever, she'll come slithering back looking for something to give the Feds for evidence, and that's when she'll get my little surprise."

Danielle Atron pinched her temples. "I swear, Vince, that if this is another bomb-"

"Nothing so noisy," Vince reassured. "Mack's going to get a far more... personal message."

"Keep me updated, and rendezvous with me afterwards, preferably with Alex's head on a platter. Atron out." The ex-CEO hung up as she walked over to where several men were loading boxes of file folders into a moving truck. "Keep it going, boys. I want to be out of this dump soon."

"Don't worry, Miss Atron. We'll be done in less than an hour," one of the men replied. Atron smiled at their efficiency. These weren't Simon's punks, but several of Vince's 'associates' from his days in the SEALs. They had worked for Atron before in PV-Chem's security force, having all gotten shining recommendations from Vince, and were every bit as tough and nasty as their CO. When he got fired, they left with him to serve as added muscle in Off-The-Record Security.

_Alex has nothing on me,_ Atron told herself. _If she thinks she'll be able to outsmart me, she's **dead** wrong._

* * *

Below the streets of Pittsville, the silver blob darted through the pipes and drains with unerring speed and surety, its amorphous form consisting of the combined molecules of Alex and Robyn.

_"Are you sure we're going the right way?"_ Robyn queasily 'spoke' to Alex. _"What if we end up in a water treatment plant or something?"_

_"I'm positive."_ It was one of the odder quirks of Alex's morphed form: she always seemed to know exactly where she was going. No rhyme or reason as to how, she just did. _"You know, it probably would've been better if you didn't come. This is probably going to get dangerous."_

_"I'm not afraid."_ Robyn told herself. _"I'm... not afraid."_

_"Well, here's our turn-off."_ Alex jerked herself up towards a run-off drain, coming up just outside the back door of Atron's lair from last night.

The blob split in two and reformed into separate entities. There stood Alex, calm and collected in her jacket-and-jeans combo. There stood Robyn, clutching her stomach as it churned from the disorienting movements she just went through.

"We're here!" Alex announced. "So, Robyn, how're you feeling?"

"You... you go on ahead," Robyn moaned as she staggered away. "Right now, I need a moment of silence with my breakfast."

"Suit yourself." Alex crept over to the back door. "If something goes wrong, try to run and get help," she added as she morphed through the open crack at the foot of the door.

After reforming, Alex cautiously began stepping through what appeared to be a modest kitchen. For some reason, Alex felt unnerved, as if everything looked... normal. Curious, she flipped through the cabinets, pulling out dishes and a few plastic containers filled with dry goods, but nothing particularily interesting. Alex then saw the fridge and opened it up. Nothing was inside but a half-gallon of milk and some cold-cuts. Again, anything that screamed 'Property of certifiable nutjob Danielle Atron' was not to be found.

_You wouldn't even know someone like Atron lived here from looking at this,_ she realized as she closed the fridge and shook her head. _I guess not living in a manor anymore would make anybody emphasize frugality._

Seeing as how the kitchen was a bust, Alex left the kitchen and entered the living room. Looks on-the-level. TV, couch, bookshelves, all the standard stuff, she noted in passing as she climbed the stairs and took a glance into each of the rooms. The bathroom revealed nothing, as did the bedroom. _I doubt that it's Vince's room,_ she thought with a giggle.

But when Alex reached the room of her past imprisonment, she noticed something especially odd. The quarantine tube was gone! Wires, consoles, everything, not a trace of it remained. _That sort of thing doesn't vanish overnight, especially if only two people are moving it!_ She briefly took off her hat to wipe her brow. _Something stinks here. There's no way Danielle and Vince can cover their tracks all by themselves._

Alex went back downstairs and paused when noticed something she hadn't before: a slightly-ajar door below the staircase. Not taking any chances, Alex charged her fists up in preparation for ambush as she telekinetically opened the door and crept down the stairwell into the basement, where a surprisingly-clean office set-up sat at the far end. Across from the sizable desk was another TV and a pair of chairs. Behind it was a comfortable office chair and several empty shelves. _And I'm guessing that this is Off-The-Record,_ Alex deduced as she stepped over some old cardboard boxes laying on the floor. _Looks like they've cleaned up here too, so- what's this?_

Alex noticed a photo sitting on the ground. She bent down to pick it up and looked hard at the image it held. It was an old photograph of a man and a woman. Between them was a small girl, seemingly no more than ten. Alex read on the back: _Silas, Marianne, and Dani._

Alex squinted to take a closer look at the woman. _She looks vaguely familiar,_ she thought. _Where have I seen her before?_

* * *

From his hiding spot in the closet behind her, Vince looked towards Alex with a derisive grin. _She's taken the bait,_ he told himself, _and now curiosity will kill the freak._ Silent as can be, Vince drew a handgun and attached a silencer, then slowly aimed it out towards Alex's head. One shot was all he needed to put her out of her misery.

* * *

Unaware of the looming threat behind her, Alex pocketed the photo in her jacket and turned to leave. However, she wasn't watching where she was going and tripped on a box, causing her to fall forward as Vince pulled the trigger. The shot missed cleanly and hit the wall. "What th-" Vince fired twice more at her, but to no avail as Alex morphed and slid under the desk.

Vince was understandably furious. _DAMMIT!_ he roared inwardly as he took out a combat knife and slowly creaked open the closet door. Poking himself out, he glanced around the basement, looking for any possible surprise. After a minute, he stuck his foot out of the closet.

Before Vince knew it, the desk was suddenly catapulted forward towards him. It slammed right into the closet, blocking it off and trapping Vince between the door and frame. The man shouted in pain as Alex made a mad dash up the stairs, clutching only a single file. Vince reached for his radio. "Simon, go to plan B!" he snarled. "Don't let her leave that house alive!"

Ignoring Vince's pained protest, Alex bolted out of the basement. Her escape was suddenly cut off by a pair of Simon's goons grabbing her arms. "Hey, what gives?" she panicked as they dragged her towards the kitchen, where Simon stood in front of the back door. "Oh, it's just you," Alex casually replied. "Don't you ever learn? Surely by now you know what I can do, so why don't you just let me go and-"

"Oh, no! Not this time, freak!" the leader said with a sneer. "Simon says that I'm through taking crap from you. Why don'cha put away those fancy tricks and fight me like a man, or is your spine as watery as the rest of you?"

As the punks released their grip, Alex looked up with an odd glance. "You want me... to fist-fight you?"

"You deaf? We're gonna fight like men! No guns, no electric fingers, just you and me. Mano-a... um... womano?"

Much to his surprise, Alex put her fists up. "Okay, Simon. Let's go, preferably before you butcher up another language."

"Now we're talking!" The punks cheered and formed a circle around Alex and Simon as they put their fists up. "I'll have you know that I'm a beast with my fists." With a shout, he threw the first punch. Alex merely leaned backwards with seemingly minimal effort, causing the swing to cleanly miss. Undaunted, Simon continued to jab and hook like a stereotypical boxer, with Alex evading every blow through simple movement.

"Okay, I'm impressed. Can I go now?" Alex asked. "I really don't have time for this."

"Stop talking and fight, you little halfwit!" Simon lunged with a powerful cross. Alex leaned off to one side and grabbed Simon's arm. In doing so, she put pressure on his electric burn. The leader roared in pain from the stinging touch as Alex kneed him in the stomach.

His arm burning in pain and his belly groaning from the impact, Simon sat there on his knees, cursing and snarling. "You said no powers," Alex said. "I fought fair. Now can I go?"

"Alright, that's it!" Standing up, Simon reached for his hip and drew a gun. He didn't even get the safety off when... **WHACK!** Simon suddenly collapsed to the floor. Alex and everybody looked up over him, where they saw Simon's assailiant: Robyn Russo clutched a large wooden plank.

"Way to go, Robyn," Alex spoke. "I didn't think you had that in you."

"I didn't think so, either."

Looking around her, Alex noticed that all the other punks were staring uneasily, as if they weren't sure what to do now. "Anybody else?" Alex calmly asked. They all ran out the door instantly, leaving their fallen leader alone with the two girls. "Guess not."

Alex was just about to walk away when she noticed paper sticking out of Simon's pocket. Out of curiosity, Alex took it out and read it: RENDEZVOUS AT LYNCH AND 23RD. "Well, I know what I'm doing this afternoon," she commented. Looking back down at Simon, Alex grimaced. "Robyn, can I borrow your cell phone?"

* * *

_Ten minutes later..._

With a moan, Simon staggered to his feet. His radio crackled to life. "Simon, pick up!" shouted Vince. "Pick up, you idiot! What's your status?"

"Status?" Simon scowled. "I'm quitting, that's my status! That brat isn't worth the abuse!"

"You can't quit now! She's still-"

"Kill her on your own time, gran'pa! Simon says that he's outta here."

As Simon marched out of the house, a police car suddenly pulled up in front of him. Before he knew it, the officers had grabbed him and held him against the hood. "He matches the caller's description, all right," one of the officers announced. "Check the house. There may be others." Simon said nothing to his credit.

Truth be told, he was actually quite relieved.

From their hiding spot across the street, Alex and Robyn watched Simon get hauled off. "Y'know, Alex, you should really consider getting your own," Robyn replied as Alex handed her back her cell phone.

"I've never been big on the fad, no offense," Alex simply answered. "Anyway, I've got a hot date with a crazy hag. You sure you'll be okay grabbing a cab into town?"

"Better than another morphing trip." Robyn uneasily shuddered. "Just one thing, Alex... What are you going to do once you meet her?"

"Dunno." Alex shrugged. "I'm kinda making this up as I go along." With a nod, Alex morphed and flowed down a storm drain. Robyn sighed as she dialed for the taxi.

* * *

Inside the house basement, the officer checked around intently, but groaned. His partner called him on the radio. "Anything?"

"Nope. The house is bare."

"Eh, we got who we came for. Let's go," he said. "We'll come back once we get some proper search warrants."

Beneath the floorboards, Vince quietly waited as the officer walked over his hiding spot. It was cramped, for sure, but he hadn't installed the hiding spot purely for aesthetics. With a calm expression, he glanced towards a small pile of manila folders and a familiar flash drive sitting nearby.

* * *

_Sundown..._

At the warehouse, Atron tapped her foot impatiently. Vince should've reported in hours ago, she groused. I swear, if Alex Mack isn't a bloodstain by now, I will personally-

A soldier approached Atron and saluted. "That's the last one, Miss Atron."

"Excellent." Atron smiled. "Once night falls and the streets are quiet enough, we'll move out."

"The only place you're moving into is prison!" someone else shouted. "Preferably for a permanent stay!"

Taken aback by the sudden interruption, everybody immediately looked around for the source of the voice. "Look!" a soldier shouted. There, standing atop a stack of precariously-stacked crates near the window and with her arms crossed heroically, was Alex Mack, her silhouette bathed in the sun's glare.

"You're still here?" Atron snapped. "Well, don't just stand there! Shoot her!" Surprisingly, they stood in confusion without even acting. "What are you waiting for?"

"Well..." one of the soldiers moaned. "She's just a kid. How do you expect us to shoot a kid?"

"Here's 50,000 good reasons!" Atron held up the electron rifle and fired at Alex. Of course, with the sun's glare directly facing her, she missed by a good three feet and hit the crates just below Alex's feet.

As the blast struck the crates, Alex lost her balance and tumbled to the ground with the stack. "Darn," she swore as she put up a shield to avoid the debris. "It always looked so much easier in the movies." The soldiers immediately opened fire on her, but failed to hit anything as their shots bounced off her shield. With no intention to stick around, Alex morphed out of the mess and retreated up a wall onto an upper catwalk.

"Forget her! Just get the truck out of here now!" Atron ordered. "I'll catch up after I attend to... business." Not needing an explanation as to why, the soldiers hopped into the rig and signaled the driver to move out, leaving Atron to march over towards Alex with her weapon humming.

Recovering, Alex noticed that Atron was in a radically different outfit than what she was used to seeing. The woman was wearing a simple black bodysuit, with gloves, boots, and a belt that was all colored a dark silver. Her close-cropped red hair served to accentuate her image. "Nice outfit," Alex taunted from the rafters. "Let me guess... laundry day. All your Armani suits are at the cleaners, so you tricked out your pajamas."

"This outfit, Alex, is symbolic," Atron explained. "I want this image of mine to be the last thing you remember when I finally have you killed."

"Oh, I'll remember, all right." Alex smiled. "I'll remember how I was killed by a crazy old hag in her pajamas." Obviously not impressed with Alex's joke, Atron fired her weapon, sending 50,000 volts blazing towards her. Alex responded by leaping out of the way, vaulting over Atron's head in an impressive telekinetically-lifted bound and landing behind her, then raised her palm and fired her own zap shot with the intent to to knock her out.

**POW!** It hit Atron right in the shoulder, making her briefly flinch from the blow before she righted herself. "Heh, nice try," she replied, "but I expected as much when I put this uniform together." Atron pinched her sleeve. "See? Rubber-lined to absorb your little spark show."

Alex scowled in annoyance. "You've thought of everything, haven't you?"

"How do you think I got so far in life?"

"Point taken." Alex morphed out of the way of another blast and took cover behind the fallen crate stack. _Well, zap shots are one thing, but let's try something a little more direct._ Using some telekinetic power, Alex lifted a pair of crates up in front of her and chucked them at Atron. She managed to shoot down one, but the other came at her too fast and she had to dive out of the way. Seeing her opening, Alex morphed again and balled up, packing herself as tightly as possible. _"Slime ball, side pocket!"_ she called out as she launched forward towards Atron with all the velocity of an electrically-charged bowling ball, knocking her to the floor with a groan of pain.

Rolling furiously, Alex reared around for another pass. This time, however, she failed to notice Atron draw a small device from her sleeve and throw it at her. As soon as it hit Alex, she felt herself literally explode, splattering all over the floor like puddle water. Not willing to wait for her recovery, Atron got up and ran for the stairwell.

"Oooohhh..." Alex moaned as all her scattered droplets immediately moved towards the center of the room, where they recombined and reformed into the one true Alex Mack. _That's never pleasant,_ she woozily thought. _Now where did she go?_ Alex slowly staggered towards the stairwell after her adversary.

* * *

A fight as noisy as the one inside the warehouse would obviously be bound to attract attention, and already it had drawn a crowd from nearby. The police were setting up barricades and trying to push the people back, even shouting to them to leave the area. Even the local news was on location, reporting on the ongoing situation.

In her motel room, Annie watched the TV intently as it blared a special report. _"For those of you just tuning in, we have reports of what is believed to be gunfire and explosions going off within the vicinity of the Connery Warehouse at Lynch and 23rd,"_ announced the reporter. _"Local authorities have asked that all civilians remain in their homes until further notice, though the mounting crowd standing outside has yet to be dispersed for their safety."_

_DAMMIT!_ Annie dashed for the door, nearly crashing into Barbara. "Sorry, 'scuse me, Mom."

"Annie, where are you-"

"Call it a hunch," Annie quickly explained as she pointed to the report, "but I think I know where Alex is!"

"There?" Barbara looked absolutely shocked. "Annie, are you crazy? You could get hurt!"

"You said it yourself, Mom. Just have faith." Barbara had no objections as Annie ran out of the room and dashed towards the street.

As Annie reached the sidewalk, she was nearly cut off by an approaching taxi. "Annie!" shouted Robyn from inside. "Thank goodness! I... I wasn't sure where else to go, so I came here."

"It's her, right?" Robyn nodded. "Well, move over, 'cause I'm coming with you!" Annie got in with her. "Lynch and 23rd, and step on it!"

As the taxi pulled away, Barbara watched from the upper walkway, then bowed her head. _If anybody can hear me,_ she mentally whispered, _please watch over my daughters._

* * *

Stepping out of the stairwell, Alex wandered out onto a catwalk overlooking the warehouse floor. It was a pretty steep drop from where she stood, and she briefly sweated. As she walked past the supervisor's booth, a blast of lightning lashed out and struck her in the back, and Alex fell down hard onto the metal mesh ground.

"You're a persistent little pest, aren't you?" Atron sneered as she stepped out from the booth. "See, this is the kind of power I would have loved to have at my side." She raised the rifle and fired a shot. Alex rolled off to the side as the bolt of electricity struck the ground. "I could've build your reputation up into a deity, but you were always too busy hiding to even take the chance."

"Build me up? I seem to recall something about you trying to blow me up instead. And before that, you threatened to send me to the dissection table."

"We could come to a compromise," Atron added. "I'm a very flexible negotiator."

"Oh, will you shut up?" Alex charged her fists with electricity as a warning gesture. "Seriously, you're always running your mouth about how great you think you are. You are without a doubt the most egostistical woman I've ever met, and I wouldn't rule by your side for anything."

Atron looked hurt and insulted. "Well, don't say I didn't make the offer." Thus the fight continued as Alex dashed back and forth on the upper decks, dodging lightning bolts and firing back taunts.

* * *

Stepping out of the cab, Robyn groaned at the crowd standing about. "We're never going to get in there, not with all those policemen standing about," she replied as she and Annie looked at the warehouse from around the block.

"They don't seem too concerned about the back area, though," Annie observed. "We'll try there."

"For the record, if we get caught, I know nothing about you or the situation." Robyn followed Annie around the block and towards the rear access of the warehouse. To their immediate fortune, the loading dock was wide open, allowing them to sneak inside.

Almost as soon as they did, the sight of bright flashes of electricity caught their attention. "Upstairs," Annie called out as she and Robyn crept up the stairwell and peered out towards the catwalk. The first thing Annie saw was "Danielle Atron?" Indeed the cruel CEO was shooting at Alex with some kind of fancy weapon. But it was the sight of Alex that drew her attention.

"C'mon, Alex! You can do it!" Robyn quietly shouted as she watched her friend in action. Annie was speechless as she kept her eyes on her sister. There she was, facing certain danger and possible death, and yet she didn't seem like she was afraid. In fact, it looked more like she was enjoying herself.

_She's either very foolish or very stupid to be doing this,_ Annie realized, _but right now, she's very incredible._ Annie only hoped that Alex wasn't biting off more than she could chew, especially in a situation like this.

* * *

"Y'know, Danielle," Alex called out as she expertly morphed and reformed around another bolt, "for someone who insists on being the perfect model of dignity and intelligence, you sure do go crazy trying to catch what you can't hit."

"Well, for someone who prefers staying hidden and uninvolved, you sure do enjoy putting your neck on the line for others. So noble..." Atron mockingly clapped. "... and stupid!"

"You call helping people stupid?"

"Those so-called people can't even help themselves. Look at Paradise Valley, for example. Everybody did what I said, blindly and obediently. No one questioned me, even when they knew I was up to no good."

"That's because they were afraid of what you'd do to them if they stepped out of line." Alex slowly stood up and dusted herself off. "I'll admit, I was afraid once. But you made me realize that you're really all bark and no bite."

Atron's smile vanished. "Shut up!"

"I didn't have to put on a cape and mask to spoil your plans. In fact, you did all the spoiling yourself. You became so obsessed with trying to catch me that all I had to do was just let you and your goons rip your reputation into shambles."

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!"

"Oh, and who can forget that night where you went and blew up your own plant? Real smooth planning there, Danielle." Alex laughed loudly, letting it echo throughout the entire room. "Between my friends and my powers, did you really think you could trap me? Some genius you are!" Atron's face had turned a near purple from her rage. "

"SILENCE!" Atron shouted. "I don't have to take this from a mutant like you!"

"Look who's talking! At least I don't look like some kind of corporate ninja, what with that get-up of yours!" Alex was laughing madly. "I'm not afraid of you! No one's afraid of you!"

"You should be, you little runt! Now DIE!" Atron fired a bolt, catching Alex by surprise and knocking off her feet. The force of the blow sent Alex careening into a stack of gas drums. Without a second thought, Atron fired at the drums, igniting them and enveloping Alex in the resulting explosion. The woman was looking positively psychotic as the explosion billowed from the production floor, laughing as her self-proclaimed nemesis vanished into flames. "Let that be a lesson to you, Alex... NO ONE stands up to me and lives!"

"ALEEXXXXX!" Unable to stand it anymore, Annie screamed and tackled Atron to the floor. "You..." Annie growled. "You monster! You heartless monster, how could you do that? What did she ever do to you?"

Atron threw Annie off her and against the floor, getting an audible groan of pain from the elder and now only Mack sister. Pinning her down with her foot, Atron sneered. "If you care for her so much, then, by all means, you can join her." She raised her weapon, ready to flash-fry Annie into nonexistence.

_"Don't you dare touch her!"_

The voice echoed throughout the warehouse, making the three woman pause in inexplicible fear. Then they saw her... and what they saw instantly made all their faces run white. Slowly rising from below to face them was Alex... but not in the way they recognized. Her entire body now gleamed a bright silver, with small arcs of rolling electricity and liquid ripples flowing every which way. No other color, no texture, not even her outfit to protect her modesty (not that she seemed concerned about it right now). About the only recognizable feature was what looked like her baseball cap sitting on her head, its consistency altered with its wearer.

Robyn felt her throat run dry, but eventually squeaked out a "How..." as she ran over to help Annie. "How did..."

"I...I'm not sure," Annie fearfully replied. "I guess the stress of the situation triggered a reaction in her powers. But this... this is impossible, even for her."

"You just can't take a hint, can you?" Atron roared as she fired a bolt at Alex, striking her dead in her chest... but with no effect. Atron fired another shot, and Alex again absorbed it into herself. Hovering slowly towards Atron, Alex crossed her arms in defiance, a grim scowl crossing her face.

Recovering quickly, Atron stood up and grabbed Annie by the wrist. "Cute tricks, mutant, but even you won't risk hitting her, now will you?" Alex raised her palm and fired a Zap Shot at Atron with all the force of a lightning bolt, just as Atron tossed Annie into its path.

For a moment, it looked like Alex would accidently hit her sister, but the Zap Shot instead split in two around Annie, looping around her sides harmlessly before reuniting behind her and nailing Atron in her gut. Even with the rubberized suit absorbing the electricity, Atron felt herself knocked backwards from the sheer impact of the attack.

With a sneer, Atron sat up and prepared to fire, but Alex rushed forward and grabbed the weapon. "Hey, give that back!" Alex only shook her head as she channeled electricity into the gun, causing it to overload and explode into useless slag. "NO!" she screamed. "You... stupid... how could you..."

Atron didn't get to finish that sentence, for she suddenly felt Alex grab her by the front of her suit and fly themselves through a skylight window, outside the warehouse and over the open street. Atron stole a glance towards the ground and felt herself sweating from the height. _"So, whaddya think, Atron? High enough for ya?"_ she boomed, her voice carrying a mighty echo.

"Please, Alex..." Atron groaned. "Show some... mercy."

_"C'mon, admit it. You're scared spitless of me,"_ Alex taunted. _"That's why you want me dead so much, because I'm a threat to your perfect little ego. Well, if you insist on playing with me, then by all means bring it on. There's nothing you or Vince can do to scare me anymore."_

All the color left Atron's face. "But... "

_"But I'm only going to say this once, Danielle Atron."_ Alex brought Atron to eye level and glared at her through white-hot eyes. _"If you EVER try to hurt my family or friends again... then I won't be responsible for what I'll do to you."_ Alex suddenly let go of Atron, sending her plummeting to her death with a scream...

... but stopping inches short of spattering all over the pavement. "Whu... huh..." Stuttering, Atron looked up to see Alex hovering above her, calmly smiling as she gripped her leg.

_"Psych!"_ Alex giggled as she dropped Atron onto the ground, getting nothing but a pained groan from the evil woman. Before Atron could respond, Alex punched the ground next to her in a single, mighty blow, causing the street below to crack and shatter. Atron panicked and screamed again as the street around her collapsed into the sewers, sending her into the filthy water below with a splash. _"Happy trails,"_ Alex waved. Atron only garbled angrily as the river current sent her floating away into the dark tunnels.

With a smile, Alex rocketed back into the warehouse and brought herself to a hover next to Robyn and Annie. Both of them were absolutely astonished at how powerful she had become.

Robyn was the first to find her voice. "Al... Alex..." she barely gasped. "Is... is it really... you?"

Alex smiled, the glowing radiance of her body making her look absolutely stunning. Slowly, Robyn got to her feet and looked up at her friend. Alex was just about to speak when she suddenly winced.

"ALEX!" Annie shouted as Alex collapsed onto the roof, her silver glow fading into human skin and her clothes reforming upon her. Soon, Alex Mack was sprawled on the roof, human once more and unmoving. "Alex, are you alright?" she shouted, shaking Alex in hopes of getting a response. "Speak to me."

Alex's eyes fluttered open, and she slowly turned towards Annie. "I'm... I'm okay," came Alex's weak reply. "Just really... really tired."

"You've burned up so much energy that you just couldn't hold your transformed state anymore," Annie explained. "It's most likely the reason of your fatigue and why you-"

"Annie," Robyn cut in, "let's just say that Alex saved us and leave it at that."

"Works for me," Alex replied. She then sighed. "I guess I should've given Atron to the cops, right?"

"You've done your part, Alex," Annie replied. "Now let the proper authorities do theirs."

"But they won't even know she was here."

"They will now." Robyn pulled out her cell phone and switched the screen to a photo of Atron, holding her weapon and looking absolutely crazy. "I snapped it while... well... while she was gloating over your-"

"Trust me, she's never looked better." Laughing, the girls shared a group hug.

* * *

_Back at the police station..._

"So, Vince Carter was willing to pay you to serve as an accomplice?"

"Yes." Across the table, Simon sat there quietly, all his usual meanness gone in favor of bitter humility. "He told me to have my men take hostages at Sedgewick while he set the bombs."

"And you are aware of the one hostage who got loose and, according to their testimony, zapped them into unconsciousness?" came Grace Lasky continued pressing.

"Same one who kept making a fool out of me." Grace looked at Simon expectantly. "I never caught her name, okay? All I know is that I never want to see her again." Simon turned away.

_It doesn't look like he's a threat to Alex's secret. Probably too humiliated to admit that he got beat up by a girl._ Grace let a calm smile cross her face. _Alex... whatever you did, I'm grateful._

Grace got up and left the holding tank, where a sergeant stood waiting. "So, did he say anything?"

"No," Grace shook her head. "Just random angry insults."

"Well, he didn't look too angry." The sergeant looked cross. "Are you sure he didn't say anything?"

"Are you going to argue with the FBI?" she challenged. The sergeant paused, then shook his head. "Didn't think so. Anyway, I think I've gotten everything I could here, so I'm off for home." _Right after one last stop._

* * *

_"In our top story, local and Federal authorities continue to investigate the reports of gunfire and explosions coming from the Connery Warehouse at Lynch and 23rd."_ Robyn's photo of Atron appeared onscreen. _"Celebrity convict Danielle Atron, having been released from prison on parole just last year, has been named by an anonymous eyewitness as the prime suspect behind the mayhem downtown. All citizens are asked to report any and all new information relating to her."_

"Oh, I can't wait to see how she gets out of this one," Alex teased as she and her father sat in the hospital room. George was awake and was already eager to leave, though he wouldn't be officially released until tomorrow morning. Still, Alex was just happy to see him moving.

_"In related news, authorities have yet to confirm or deny any explanation regarding repeated claims of citizens seeing a strange silver spark flying in the sky during the incident, although an investigation into it being the cause of a large hole in the middle of 23rd Street is underway."_

Alex smiled sheepishly. "Yeah... heh... that was kinda my fault," she said, "but I don't regret it." Without a sound, George shut the TV off. Alex could tell that he looked distressed, and it was a fair bet that she was the distress in question.

Alex sighed. "Dad..." she began. "I'm sorry for lying again. It's just that you and Mom seemed so happy that the whole GC-161 mess was over, and between Annie and me..." The Super-Teen slightly hesitated. "We just didn't want you to worry about it anymore."

"Alex, I made you the antidote, but it was still your choice whether or not to take it," her father replied. "If you had just told me that it didn't work from the get-go, or even that you simply didn't take it, I wouldn't have held it against you."

"But you told me that there was the risk of long-term damage."

"There always is with chemicals, but that's besides the point," George continued. "Alex, I'm a scientist. When I see a situation, my first response is to study it scientifically. The only problem is that I don't always listen to my heart as much as my brain." Alex was surprised at her father's reasoning. "But you're a strong, courageous woman with a pure heart, and I've always loved you for that."

"Really?"

"Trust me, Alex, I don't need any science to explain it." George sighed heavily. "I only wish I had your courage ten years ago. Maybe then I could've stood up to Atron and stopped her plans from ever starting, instead of being so meek and helpless around her."

"Maybe." Alex shrugged. She wasn't quite sure about that, especially after hearing the stories of others who tried to stand up to Atron and vanished. "So, I guess now you're gonna obsess over curing me, huh?" she moped.

"Annie told me everything about you and her GC-161 studies. Personally, I'm actually kind of jealous that she got to study you instead of me." George weakly chuckled, which slightly unnerved Alex. "You don't seem to be in any danger healthwise, especially if you've gone this long with these... gifts." Alex smiled at her father's reassurance. "But if something does happen... just promise you won't hide it from me."

"I promise, Dad," Alex whispered. "I promise." George and Alex pulled into a loving embrace, once more a father and daughter who were proud for each other.

"Also..." George pulled Alex's head in to whisper. "Can you see about morphing out and sneaking in a Burger Fool meal for me? I can't get a decent burger in this place for anything." Alex simply laughed as she continued the hug. When it came to her father, some things never changed.

And from the doorway of George's hospital room, Barbara Mack smiled. _That's the George I know and love,_ she thought. _And Alex... I'm so proud of you, too._

* * *

"So, basically, Dad's not going to prod me about what I do with my powers, just so long as he feels that I'm not abusing them, which I never do," Alex explained to Annie as the elder Mack daughter packed her clothes in her suitcase. "And though he says I'm okay, I did agree to let him know of any new developments in my... unique condition. Of course, I'll still be telling you first, since you're the reigning... Hey! Are you listening?"

"Huh?" Annie looked up. "Oh, yeah, Alex. Go ahead."

"Look, about last night... I'm sorry, okay?" Alex bowed her head in guilty shame. "Attacking you was a very stupid move. I had just been so upset over the past few hours that I simply snapped without thinking."

"Apology accepted, Alex, but you're the one who was right," came Annie's reply. "I was so worried about the worst-case scenario that I never once thought that you're more capable than I give you credit for."

"Seriously, Annie, I'm in the wrong more than you are."

"Tell me, Alex," Annie continued. "Yesterday at Sedgewick and today, how did you feel knowing that you were using your powers to make a positive difference in a life-or-death situation?"

Taken aback by the question, Alex paused to remove her hat and scratch her head. After a bit of private reflection, she said, "To be honest... it was kinda scary, but fun, too." Alex smiled. "I mean, I wouldn't want to make it an everyday event, but it was nice to finally let loose and be me. None of the usual hiding and lies, but just simply... doing."

"If that's the way you feel about it, then I really have no right to try and control you anymore." Annie looked up to Alex with a sad gaze. "I'm just worried about what will happen when everybody learns about how the most powerful being in the world is just a 19-year-old girl from California?"

"Well, I wouldn't call myself that, but-"

Annie put her hand on Alex's shoulder. "But seeing you now, so powerful and grown-up... I'll bet you could tell the whole world and no one would ever give you a hard time about it." A smile crossed Annie's lips. "It's your choice, Alex. Whether you go public with your powers or keep them secret, I'll be there for you in any way I can."

"Thanks, but..." Alex trailed off. "I don't want to tell the world, at least not yet. If the whole world knew about me, then I'd never be able to lead a normal life, and there's still so much I want to do first." Annie nodded in agreement. "And besides, what about Mom and Dad... or you? Everybody would be bugging you three over me if they knew."

"We'll get by. We always do," Annie replied. "The thing about our family, Alex, is that we never give up on anything we start on, just as I'll never give up on you." Alex felt proud at that statement, and the two sisters shared a heartfelf hug. For the first time since three years ago, they were closer than ever.

"Starting tomorrow, I'm heading back to my counselor so that I can start a degree program," Alex announced. "I want you to be proud of me when I finally get that sheepskin."

"I'm proud of you already just for taking the first step," came Annie's reply. "Oh, and someone was by earlier. They asked for you and left you this." She handed Alex a letter. With a curious shrug, Alex opened it up and pulled out a note.

_Alex_  
_Before you say anything... I didn't tell anybody about you. I figured you deserve at least that much respect. Anyway, I want to thank you for helping to stop this mayhem. It's not much, but a little bird told me you could use this._

_Hopefully, we can start to be friends again. Until then, I'll be watching out for you._  
_~Grace_

Alex smiled as she pulled out some money from the envelope. It totaled to 300 dollars. "Well, Grace, it's a start," she said as she grabbed her hat and jacket.

Now it was Annie's turn to look confused. "Uh, who's Grace?" she asked. "Seriously, Alex, is that a friend of yours?"

"I'm not at liberty to say just yet."

"Alexandra Louise Mack, don't you dare be keeping things from me!" the elder sister demanded. "And where do you think you're going, anyway?"

"Where else?" Alex turned and smiled. "To the impound."

* * *

_And so, Alex Mack defeated the evil ambitions of Danielle Atron and brought peace back to Pittsville Gardens... for now. However, this is only the beginning of what will be her own journey into history. Her life will take her to places unseen, learning truths untold, fighting enemies unimaginable._

_Fight on, Alex! The world is waiting for you!_

**_IT'S OVER!_**

* * *

Coughing and sputtering, her pristine outfit ruined by sewer water, Danielle Atron marched alongside the empty country road. She was wet, angry and very humiliated.

As she strode along muttering strings of curses, a humvee pulled up beside her. "Miss Atron!" Vince shouted from within the vehicle. "Are you alright?"

"What kept you? I called you fifteen minutes ago, only for my phone to die afterwards," she snapped. As Atron got into the jeep, Vince wrinkled his nose. "Say one word, and I will hurt you."

"Sorry." Averting his gaze, Vince drove down the road. "Don't tell me. Mack, right?"

"At her power levels, I'll need to significantly re-evaluate my long-term strategem," Atron growled. "But make no mistake about it, I'll teach that little mutant not to make a fool out of me! Did you print out the files like I asked?"

"Right here." Vince handed Atron a plain manila envelope. "After all the trouble I went through, it had better be worth it."

"Of course. The very thing that made her is going to be her undoing." Atron eagerly took the file and read over the title. "If she wants a war, I'll give her one. Time is all I need... time and money."

PARADISE VALLEY CHEMICAL INC. TOP SECRET  
MUTAGENIC CHEMICAL COMPOUND "GC-161" ***DISCONTINUED***  
GEORGE MACK, PROJECT LEADER

"So, what are we doing next, Miss Atron?"

"For now, we lay low and recoup our losses," came her simple reply. "After all... tomorrow is another day."


End file.
